In a constitutional monarchy the parliament writes and votes on the law.
And this is a good thing. For me at least. The only problem I have had with His Majesty is that he doubles as a religious leader.
So what does the King do? (Honest question. We don't have royalty, so I'm never sure exactly what they do if they don't actually make up the laws. Are they like a perma-President? Also, can a King break the law, or would he get in trouble like anyone else?)
The King is the leader of the nation, but only in name the leader of the government.While the cabinet ministers convene at the castle for the Council of State, his powers are largely ceremonial. The real power rests i the hands of the Prime Minister.
The King heads the government meetings at Oslo Palace every Friday (Council of State). He also has weekly meetings with the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister. He receives foreign envoys, and opens parliament every September. According to the Norwegian constitution, he appoints his government. Since 1884 parliamentarism has been in place in Norway, so the government has to have support from Parliament. The King appoints the leader of the parliamentary block with majority as prime minister. When the parliamentary situation is unclear the king relies on the advice of the president of Parliament and the sitting prime minister. He travels extensively throughout Norway and makes official state visits to other countries.
-Wikipedia-
In addition to this, the King is also the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces (one of only two four-star generals, the other being the Chief of Defence), for a brief period still is the leader of the Church of Norway, and holds a host of other honorary titles and patronages.
And to top it all off, he was an Olympic sailor.
