Norway has “Kongesangen” as its royal anthem alongside “Ja, vi elsker dette landet,” its national anthem.
“Kongesangen” is the Norwegian version of “God Save the King.” Its lyrics were translated and adapted by Henrik Wergeland, and it is used for royal and other official occasions. The anthem’s wording changes with the monarch’s gender and title.
“Ja, vi elsker dette landet,” written by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson with music by Rikard Nordraak, is Norway’s national anthem. The two songs therefore serve different constitutional and ceremonial roles rather than being competing national anthems.
Norway is not the only country with separate national and royal or presidential anthems. The distinction is particularly easy to miss in monarchies, where a royal anthem may be performed at state events even though it is not the country’s national anthem.