King Haakon VIII Opens Parliament as Issue Over His Consulting Firm Resurfaces

On Friday, King Haakon VIII served as the principal guest at the Storting's formal opening, delivering the throne speech prepared by the cabinet and handed to him by Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. A seven‑member parliamentary deputation accompanied the king throughout the ceremony, a tradition intended to prevent royal interference in legislative proceedings. A planned demonstration on Løvebakken protested higher fuel prices. Separately, a recent podcast highlighted that King Haakon must shut down his sole‑proprietorship consulting business.