Iceland president recalls Harald, notes new king shares husband’s birthday

Haakon VIII has become king of Norway following the death of his father, Harald, while Iceland’s President Halla Tómasdóttir has recalled her meetings with the late monarch and noted that Haakon shares his birthday and birth year with her husband, Björn Skúlason, according to Icelandic news outlet mbl.is.

“You can really feel the grief of the Norwegian people,” Tómasdóttir told mbl.is about Harald’s death on Friday morning. She described Harald and Queen Sonja as an exceptional royal couple and said she viewed Haakon, the new king, favourably.

“I was asked this morning whether I thought he would be very different from his father, but I believe Haakon will follow beautifully in his father’s footsteps while certainly leaving his own mark on the Kingdom of Norway,” she said.

Tómasdóttir described Haakon as sincere, composed and warm, with a genuine interest in people. She said she had sensed the same interest and passion for people and the causes they supported in both Harald and Sonja.

“Haakon has the same birthday and birth year as my husband. What are the chances of that?” Tómasdóttir said. She recalled that when she first met Haakon, then crown prince, she felt as though she had known him all her life.

She said this feeling was common between Norwegians and Icelanders because of their similarities, shared history and similar values. She added that she had later seen the connection in a different light after learning about the shared birthday.

Tómasdóttir also praised Haakon’s presence. She noted that her husband, Björn Skúlason, must have a similarly calming presence, as Sweden’s Queen Silvia once fell peacefully asleep with her head on his shoulder in a car.

“What stands out most to me is how wise and humane Harald was, and the subtle sense of humour he had,” Tómasdóttir said. She recalled sitting beside him at the birthday celebration of Sweden’s King Carl Gustaf in the spring.

“My thoughts are with the family and the Norwegian people, to whom I extend my deepest condolences in this time of grief. But memories live on, and they are memories of a good man,” Tómasdóttir said.