King Haakon follows in his late father’s footsteps during emotional outing with Queen Sonja

Less than a month after the death of King Harald V, King Haakon VIII has marked another poignant first as Norway’s new monarch.

The King was joined by his mother, Queen Sonja, aboard the Royal Yacht Norge on September 24 for the traditional ceremony marking the end of the vessel’s season. 

But this year’s event carried particular significance for the royal family. King Harald had opened the very same season in April, making this his final summer aboard the beloved ship.

During the ceremony, Haakon inspected the crew on the aft deck before thanking them for their work throughout what he acknowledged had been an unusual and emotional season.

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“This was a special watch,” the King said, according to the Norwegian Royal House. “It was the last summer King Harald was aboard the Royal Yacht.”

Haakon went on to speak about his father’s affection for the vessel and those who served aboard it, saying that Harald was “very fond of the vessel” and of being aboard, while also appreciating the crew and their work.

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A season opened by Harald, closed by Haakon:

The symbolism of the moment was difficult to miss. King Harald officially opened the Royal Yacht’s 2026 season on April 24, when he boarded the vessel in Oslo. Queen Sonja and Haakon, who was still Crown Prince at the time, were there with him.

Five months later, the roles had dramatically changed. Following Harald’s death on August 28, Haakon ascended the throne as King Haakon VIII. It was therefore the son who returned alongside Queen Sonja to formally close the season his father had begun.

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The appearance is among Haakon’s first official engagements since the change of reign and comes as the Norwegian royal family remains in a period of court mourning through October 9.

A powerful connection to King Harald’s final farewell:

There was another deeply personal connection between Thursday’s ceremony and Harald’s farewell earlier this month.

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As Haakon left the Royal Yacht, the traditional naval signal “Pip over – pip av” was sounded. Just two weeks earlier, a boatswain from the Royal Yacht had sounded the traditional signal when King Harald’s coffin was carried into the chapel at Akershus Castle following his funeral.

On that occasion, according to the Royal House, the signal symbolized King Harald leaving the ship for the final time. Harald’s final official journey aboard Norge had taken place only months earlier, during a county tour of Vestland in May.

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For Haakon, Thursday’s ceremony therefore represented more than the end of another sailing season. It quietly illustrated the transition now taking place within Norway’s monarchy, a royal tradition closely associated with his father continuing under a new King.

And Queen Sonja, who had stood beside Harald when the season began in April, was there once again as their son brought it to a close.