King Harald of Norway, 86, dismisses speculation that he too could abdicate after Queen Margrethe of Denmark broke 'invisible pact' between Scandinavian royals

King Harald of Norway has confirmed he has no plans to abdicate following speculation he could follow in the footsteps of his former Danish counterpart, Queen Margrethe.

The 86-year-old monarch (the grandnephew of King Charles III) emphasized that the promise he made to the Norwegian parliament when he came to the throne in 1991 is 'valid for life'.

King Harald told Faktisk.no: “I stand by what I have said all along. I made an oath to the Storting, and it is valid for life.'

It comes after Queen Margrethe of Denmark, 83, made the shock decision to step down after 52 years on the throne, making way for her son Frederik to take over on January 14.

Afterwards, a royal expert had suggested that the Danish monarch had broken an “invisible pact” between heads of state in the Scandinavian countries that no one would step down from the throne.

Queen Margrethe of Denmark, 83, made the shock decision to step down after 52 years on the throne, making way for her son Frederik to take over on January 14.

Roger Lundberg told STV that after Denmark's transition, there is a chance that King Harald of Norway and King Carl Gustaf of Sweden, 79, will follow suit and step down to let their eldest children take over the throne.

However, this has now been firmly rejected by King Harald.

The Norwegian king was 53 when he came to the throne in 1991, after the death of his father, King Olav. Previously, he served as Crown Prince Regent due to his father's illness, which escalated in the spring of 1990.

King Harald has faced some health issues himself in recent years and spent time in hospital last May treating an infection, but he clearly has no intention of abdicating.

His Scandinavian neighbor, Queen Margrethe of Denmark, made the shocking announcement during her New Year's Eve speech that she would give up the throne.

The Danish royal family has suffered several scandals in the past two years, including the queen's surprise decision to strip her grandchildren of their princely titles.

There were also rumors of an 'affair' after Crown Prince Frederik was spotted in Madrid with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova. The monarch's decision to retire could provide a much-needed fresh start.

But Denmark isn't the only monarchy in the Nordic countries to have had a bumpy few years, with the Norwegian royal family experiencing its own 'Megxit'.

The 86-year-old monarch (who is the second cousin of King Charles III) emphasized that the promise he made to the Norwegian parliament when he came to the throne in 1991 will “last a lifetime.”

A royal expert had suggested that the Danish monarch had broken an 'invisible pact' between heads of state in the Scandinavian countries that no one would step down from the throne

King Harald and Queen Sonja's only daughter, Princess Martha Louise, who was fourth in line to the throne, stepped down as working royals in 2019.

In 2022, it was announced that the mother of three would no longer represent the royal household in any form following her engagement to an American shamanic healer who had been criticized for his controversial views.

said King Harald that Martha should not be allowed to use her royal title possible future commercial partnerships with her partner Durek Verrett, 47.

Shortly after the mother of three announced her engagement to Verrett, a Norwegian publisher dropped his book “Spirit Hacking” due to pseudoscientific claims, including “children can get cancer if they are unhappy.”

Princess Martha Louise of Norway announced her engagement to Durek Verrett in June. The princess was previously married to Ari Behn, whom she married in 2002 and had three children together: Maud Angelica, 19, Leah Isadora, 17, and Emma Tallulah, 14. They split in 2016 and Ari made a date on Christmas Day end his life. 2019.

Queen Sonja of Norway, King Harald of Norway and Princess Martha Louise of Norway attend the unveiling of the Norwegian Trekking Association's gift for the Queen of Norway's 80th birthday on July 4, 2017

Among his other claims, Verrett says he once came back from the dead, recovering from a months-long coma, by “burning” his soul, and he has also spoken about having to receive a kidney transplant from his sister as a child.

After Martha Louise's decision to abdicate, King Harald emphasized that his daughter remained a princess at his request. He said, 'She is our daughter, and she will remain so. So she is Princess Märtha Louise.'

The princess was previously married to Ari Behn, whom she married in 2002 and had three children together: Maud Angelica, 19, Leah Isadora, 17, and Emma Tallulah, 14. They split in 2016 and Ari made a date on Christmas Day end his life. 2019.

Crown Prince Haakon, Martha-Louise's older brother, is Norway's heir apparent – and the future king has already had a taste of what it will be like to ascend the throne after taking his father's place several times in recent years .