Princess Ingrid Alexandra
Constitutional change called for so she can govern
Princess Ingrid Alexandra and King Harald
© Dana Press
The palace recently announced that King Harald would be stepping down in the future. Therefore, Prince Haakon has more obligations. A royal expert is now calling for a constitutional change so that Princess Ingrid Alexandra can also rule.
At the end of February, the palace announced that King Harald, 87, had to go to a clinic while on vacation in Malaysia. After he received a temporary pacemaker on site, a permanent device was installed in Oslo a short time later. In the following weeks, the monarch was on sick leave to recover from the procedure. The Regent has been working for the Crown again since Monday, April 22, 2024, but the court announced that he will be stepping back in the future. For Prince Haakon, 50, this means additional stress. That’s why a royal expert is now calling for an article in the constitution to be changed so that Princess Ingrid can also support Alexandra, 20, in state affairs.
King Harald has to slow down because of his age
“Due to his age, the King will make adjustments to his program in the future. This will entail a permanent reduction in the number and scope of activities in which the King takes part. Practical arrangements will also be made in the exercise of his official duties,” the palace wrote in its statement. Accordingly, heir to the throne Haakon will take on more tasks and travel abroad, which could lead to absences like recently. On April 19th, due to Harald’s sick leave and Haakon’s trip to the USA, a State Council meeting had to be held without Royal for the first time since 2007. Because Princess Ingrid Alexandra cannot legally help out in such a case, as Tond Norén Isaksen now emphasizes to “Aftenposten”.
Princess Ingrid Alexandra should be able to rule
Article 41 of the Norwegian constitution states that only the direct heir to the throne can step in if the monarch is abroad or too ill to fulfill his duties. If the Crown Prince is also unable to attend, the government takes over the office of head of state in the plenary session. Norway is pretty much alone with this regulation; in Sweden, Denmark and Great Britain such a situation is handled differently. For example, if King Carl Gustaf, 77, and Crown Princess Victoria, 46, are absent at the same time, both Prince Carl Philip, 44, and Princess Madeleine, 41, can act as head of the Reich.
According to the royal expert, due to the constitution it will happen more often in the future that the country will temporarily be without a regent. Therefore, the said constitutional article should be amended so that the firstborn of the heir to the throne can step in as soon as he or she comes of age. According to Isaksen, such an adjustment would only have advantages: the functioning of the monarchy would be improved, the pressure on the crown prince, who often works twice, would be reduced, and last but not least, Princess Ingrid Alexandra would be able to gain valuable experience for her future as head of state.
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Amending the constitution would be a lengthy process
However, a constitutional change is neither easy nor quick to implement. However, if such a new regulation is to take effect in the coming years, the Storting (Parliament of Norway) will have to act quickly, Isaksen points out in the “Aftenposten”. In Norway, a constitutional amendment must be introduced in the first three sessions of an electoral term and dealt with after the next parliamentary elections. If a proposal for such a constitutional amendment were submitted by September 30, 2024, the Storting could adopt it at its post-election meeting in 2025. However, if this only happens after this deadline, such a change could not be passed until 2029 at the earliest.
Source used: aftenposten.no