On Friday the Crown Princess underwent surgery at the National Hospital in Oslo to remove a herniated disc from her neck. The Crown Princess has been on sick leave for a while, but as the pain increased it was decided to go through with this surgery. Her neck problems reportedly date from a fall during a visit to the Ukraine five years ago. The Crown Princess will remain in hospital for a few days and it is not known when she will be able to resume her royal duties.
Meanwhile the Crown Prince was promoted to the highest rank in the armed forces in the State Council held on Friday, thus becoming an admiral of the navy and a general of the army and the air force. The King, the Crown Prince and the Defence Chief are the only generals who are accorded four stars.
Saturday, 16 November 2013
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What is the reason for awarding military rank to the crown prince? I can imagine that there may be constitutional reasons for doing so for the head of state, but are there such considerations for the heir?
ReplyDeleteWell, the monarch is commander-in-chief of the armed forces, so the Crown Prince will become commander-in-chief the moment his father dies. Thus it seems natural to me that he has gradually been promoted until reaching the highest rank, which he would nevertheless have held as soon as he succeeded. The Crown Prince served in the navy, but as he will head all three armed forces he holds the same rank in the other two. The then Crown Prince Harald reached the highest ranks in 1977, when he was forty, coincidentially (?) the same age as his son is now.
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