King Haakon VIII has inherited the Norwegian throne after the death of his father, Harald V. Many in Norway believe he has big shoes to fill. King Harald was immensely popular with ordinary Norwegians, as shown by his consistent high polling and the outpouring of emotion in the lead-up to his death.
Haakon is the fourth king to head Norway's modern monarchy, since it was restored in 1905 after the country gained independence from Sweden. Among his first duties as monarch, he led an extraordinary cabinet meeting where he announced his royal title and adopted his father's motto "Everything for Norway". Many commentators believe he is well-placed to follow in his predecessors' footsteps.
As crown prince, Haakon worked closely with his father as he carried out his royal duties and in recent years was handed more responsibility, increasingly acting as regent while Harald was ill or absent. King Haakon VIII takes the throne in Norway following death of Harald V "I am so lucky that Crown Prince Haakon is the one who will carry this forward," King Harald wrote of his son in his biography The King Tells. Historian Trond Norén Isaksen tells the BBC that Haakon will be a different type of king to his father, but no less respected.
"King Harald... [was] very charismatic, he [had] a great sense of humour, which everyone appreciates, and Haakon is a bit more reserved, a bit more like his mother. "But in recent years he has also become a bit more relaxed and opened up a bit and showed a bit more of his sense of humour... he has been pulling enormous weight for many years given his parents have become older and his wife has been ill." Haakon is a great-great-great-grandson of Britain's Queen Victoria. His daughter Ingrid Alexandra, 22, now becomes the crown princess and heir to the Norwegian throne.
Haakon was ahead of his older sister, Princess Märtha Louise, in the line of succession. The constitution was changed in 1990 to give women the right to inherit the throne, so Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra is in line to be Norway's first female head of state since the 15th Century. Haakon has become the king at a turbulent time for Norway's royal family.
The monarchy remains broadly popular among Norwegians and has been long praised for its modern outlook. But in recent years it has been beset by scandal. Only this year, Haakon's wife Mette-Marit has apologised for several years of ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and her son has been convicted of rape in a high-profile trial.
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