Sawt Falasteen - Norway's King Haakon VIII pays tribute to late father in first speech

"Above all, you were a person who always stayed true to your values and commitments," Haakon said of the late King Harald V in a televised speech.

The new regent said it had been a "powerful and moving experience" to see the thousands of Norwegians who had gathered since Friday outside the Royal Palace in Oslo with "flowers, tributes and candles."

"We are in mourning, yet at the same time it brings comfort and strength that so many are grieving together with us," the 53-year-old said.

Visibly moved, he also noted that his father and mother, Queen Sonja, would have celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary on Saturday.

"Happy wedding anniversary, dear Mum," he said, choking back tears.

Flags flew at half-mast on Saturday as scores of Norwegians flocked to the palace, adding flowers to the masses already on the ground after more than 20,000 people paid their respects Friday.

The late king enjoyed massive support, despite the slew of scandals that dogged his family in the final stretch of his 35-year reign.

- 'My turn' -

Haakon thanked his father for being "a good dad" to him and his sister Martha Louise, and acknowledged that he now faced a "great task himself".

"He constantly reminded us in the family that each of us must do things in our own way. Find our own form. Be ourselves," Haakon said.

"Now it is my turn," he declared.

Tributes have poured in from European monarchies and world leaders, including US President Donald Trump who hailed the memory of "a strong, proud, and greatly respected man".

Earlier Saturday, King Haakon held audiences at the palace with the leaders of the Church of Norway, parliament and supreme court.

He also received Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store for a viewing of the late king's casket, which was brought to the palace from Oslo University Hospital Friday evening.

Store was seen speaking informally to mourners outside the palace earlier Saturday, weaving through the crowds and shaking hands.

A national period of mourning has been declared. No date has been set for the late king's funeral.

King Haakon will swear an oath of allegiance in parliament on Tuesday.

City halls across Norway set out condolence books on Saturday for the public to write personal messages.

Oslo Mayor Anne Lindboe, who had called off her own wedding on Friday due to the king's death, was the first to write a message in Oslo's City Hall.

"Dear King Harald, you didn't need a crown to be a king. Thank you so much for everything you have done for our city. We will never forget you," she told reporters she had written.

One of the first members of the public to write a message after the mayor, Unni Zetterquist Thorsen, 68, told AFP she had thanked the late king for his "patience and strength through difficult times in Norway".

King Haakon and his wife, Queen Mette-Marit, are not expected to be crowned in a ceremony -- Norway abolished coronations in 1908.

But, like his father and grandfather before him, the new king could choose to have his reign blessed during a ceremony at Trondheim Cathedral, where Norwegian monarchs were crowned between 1814 and 1906.

King Harald was widely seen as the embodiment of an open and tolerant Norway, and praised for leading a monarchy that was modern and modest.

- Scandals -

Harald had been in hospital in Oslo since August 17, suffering from haemolytic anaemia, a condition caused by an abnormally rapid destruction of red blood cells that leads to fatigue and shortness of breath.

The regent faced mounting health problems in his final years, forcing him to scale back his official schedule.

The past year has been a turbulent one for the Norwegian royal family.

Queen Sonja, also 89, was briefly admitted to hospital in May due to heart problems.

In June, Mette-Marit's son from a relationship prior to her marriage to Haakon, Marius Borg Hoiby, was sentenced to four years in prison for two rapes, a sentence that is under appeal.

Suffering herself from a serious lung disease, Mette-Marit, 53, underwent a lung transplant in July.

L.Hussein--SF-PST