Haakon VIII's first royal budget: an allowance of over 1.25 million euros, and almost four in ten Norwegians say it's high

Norway has had a new king for only a few weeks, and the first big talking point about him isn't a ceremony - it's a number. After the death of King Harald V, Haakon VIII took the throne, and the government will soon present next year's budget, which includes a higher royal allowance for both him and Queen Mette-Marit.

Until now the couple were paid according to their status as heirs to the throne, at amounts set just a few months ago. The new position brings a new sum. According to Germany's Bunte, their allowance for 2026 comes to around 13.5 million Norwegian kroner, or more than 1,250,000 euros. Formally, this is a routine procedure that simply happened to coincide with the change on the throne. But when the bill arrives together with the crown, people start counting.

And count they do. The Norwegian portal Nettavisen published a poll of 2,503 respondents, and it shows a clearly divided country. Almost four in ten citizens, 39.1%, think the amount is high: 19.6% say "too high", 19.5% "a bit high". Against them, 37.9% consider it reasonable, and 8.1% think the king should get more - 3.1% rate it "too low" and 5% "a bit low".

People familiar with the royal household's costs add a note worth more than the poll itself: many have no idea what exactly this fund covers, so the undecided usually tick "reasonable". That's a common reaction when people are asked to judge complex financial items. In other words, part of the support is really ignorance with a polite face. How many citizens, in any country, really know what their money pays for once it goes into the palace?

Haakon VIII and Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra have already made their first ceremonial appearance - the opening of parliament. There, people applaud. The budget is the next test, and it's a harder one, because there nobody looks at the uniform, only at the amount.

And the timing couldn't be more awkward. While the raise is being discussed, the new lawyers of Marius Borg Høiby, Mette-Marit's son, are trying to get him into employment - as his only chance at some kind of freedom, after he was sentenced to four years in prison. For the new court that means one thing: every krone in the budget will be read alongside every headline about Marius.