Norwegian Council of State

The King presides over the Council of State, Friday at 11.00 hours. The meeting is held in the Council Chamber at the Royal Palace. In 2021 Norway had a new Government for the first time in eight years. They attended their first Council of State on 14 October. Photo: Håkon Mosvold Larsen / NTB On the rare occasions when the King and the Crown Prince are both absent, the Council of State is held in the Prime Minister’s office. The King is informed of the decisions that have been taken at the subsequent Council of State at the Royal Palace. Fridays The King presides over the Council of State in the Council Chamber. Photo: Jan Haug, The Royal Court. As the time approaches 11.00 a.m., the Prime Minister and the ministers arrive at the Royal Palace. They gather in the Ministers’ Lounge before proceeding together to the Council Chamber. The King arrives last, usually accompanied by the Crown Prince, and greets each minister in turn. The King and the Crown Prince sit at the head of the table. The Secretary to the Council of State takes a seat at the opposite end of the table, with The Laws of Norway placed before him or her. The Prime Minister sits to the King’s right, and the other ministers take their seats according to seniority and role. The King then asks each minister in turn whether he or she has a matter to present. Karl Steffensen Kjær's bust of King Haakon VII. The bust stands behind the throne in the Council Chamber. Photo: The Royal Court Ottar Espeland's bust of King Olav V. The bust stands behind the throne in the Council Chamber. Photo: The Royal Court Halfdan Strøm: King Haakon VII on Norwegian soil 25 November 1905. Photo: The Royal Collections Axel Julius Revold: The Royal Family's homecoming in 1945. Photo: The Royal Collections Harald Dal: King Haakon swears his oath to the Norwegian constitution 27. November 1905. Photo: The Royal Collections 3 bilder The council table was made at the end of the 19th century and has been extended several times as the number of ministers increased. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Norway in 2020, the Palace’s cabinetmakers extended the table once again, allowing the Council of State to meet with safe distances between the ministers. Above the table hangs a large chandelier, bearing the inscription “Med lov skal land bygges” in gilded letters. The words are taken from one of Norway’s oldest laws, written down around 1260, and states that the Law must be the foundation on which the country is built. The walls are adorned with three large paintings depicting important historical events in Norway and the history of the Royal House.