Honorary degree

‘A staunch friend of the British people and a ruler of the Norwegian people distinguished for sagacity and humanity …’

King Harald V studied PPE at Balliol in the early 1960s and is now an Honorary Fellow of the college. He was honoured in recognition of Norway’s active role in international aid work and the vital contribution to tackle world challenges in terms of poverty, protecting human rights and addressing climate change. In his address, he spoke of the need for lifelong learning and the great benefits that communication technology has brought in spreading knowledge. He also spoke of economic cooperation between Norway and the UK, in particular with regard to oil and gas discoveries in the North Sea, and the idea that new technology will make it possible to extract more oil and gas from deposits that only a few years ago could not be exploited. However, he stressed that the protection of the environment must be of the utmost importance for all Norwegian exploration and production of oil and gas in the years to come.