It hasn’t been an easy year for the Norwegian Royal Family—to put it mildly—and King Harald addressed the controversies up front in his annual New Year’s Eve speech, saying that the royals “have been truly put to the test” this year.
But while there have been hardships, King Harald said, the year has also made them all aware of “what matters in life.”
The King talked mostly about how happiness and sadness, goodness and badness walk together in life and that nobody can escape the difficulties. “At the core of being human is that none of us are spared pain and hardship,” he said. “Each of us has to find ways to cope with it, and try to get through it.”
He added: “I’m not a psychologist. But this much I’ve learned: It’s important to find ways to deal with what’s difficult in order to live the best possible life with ourselves, and with each other.
“None of us can do this alone. We need each other. We need motivation and help to move forward. We need to believe that things will get better. It may be hard work. But it is vital work. It is even community-building work.”
And once again, King Harald turned to hope as the central core of his speech. Even when we make mistakes, he said, we pick ourselves up, learn from them, and move forward. “This drive is something very special to us humans. And I think it’s about hope.”
Calling out to the various conflicts happening around the world, King Harald said that “Even where it looks darkest, there is a force that makes people step out into a new day. Even in Gaza. In Sudan. In Afghanistan. In Ukraine. In Syria.” He then thanked those working for humanitarian causes in these conflict areas, and those brokering for peace.
The King also touched upon the upcoming 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and how peace and hope were hard won. “We must inspire our young people to work for peace – both here at home and in the world at large. We must strengthen our preparedness at all levels so that we know with ourselves that we are a resilient people. We owe that to those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom, and we owe that to the Norwegians of the future.”
The King closed out his speech with a hope that people will stand up for what is right: “We can stand up for what we believe in. We can be kind and considerate of each other. We can raise our hands when we are needed.”
King Harald’s New Year’s Eve speech can be read here in full.
