World War II · Film · 2016
The King's Choice
Kongens nei
Over three days in April 1940, as German forces invade Norway, King Haakon VII flees Oslo with his family and government and must decide whether to accept Hitler's demands or refuse and risk everything.
Where it happened
Follow the story across 5 places.
Stop 1: Royal Palace, Oslo
The Crown Prince warns his father that a sunken transport was carrying German soldiers, while the government clings to neutrality.
Stop 2: Oscarsborg Fortress
Without orders from Oslo, Colonel Birger Eriksen opens fire on a German warship entering the narrow Drøbak Sound.
Stop 3: Hamar
The royal family escapes by train, and Parliament meets in Hamar as German troops approach.
Stop 4: Elverum
The King sends his grandchildren to safety and agrees to meet the German envoy alone.
Stop 5: Nybergsund
Key location
In a remote village near the Swedish border, the King faces his ministers with the answer he will give Germany.
What really happened
Germany invaded Norway on 9 April 1940 to secure the iron-ore route and Atlantic bases. In the Oslofjord the guns and torpedoes of Oscarsborg Fortress sank the heavy cruiser Blücher, delaying the capture of the capital long enough for the royal family, the government and the Storting to escape north. That evening Vidkun Quisling proclaimed himself head of government on the radio.
On 10 April the German envoy Curt Bräuer met King Haakon at Elverum and demanded that he appoint Quisling. The King told his cabinet that he would abdicate rather than accept, and the government refused; the next day German bombers struck Nybergsund. Norway fought on for two months, and the King went into exile in Britain in June. The film compresses the events and portrays Bräuer sympathetically; it was shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Where to watch
Checking streaming services…
Full details
- Original title
- Kongens nei
- Directed by
- Erik Poppe
- Countries
- Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Ireland
- Languages
- Norwegian, German, Danish, Swedish
- Released
- 2016
- Period
- –
- Theaters of war
- Western Europe
- Themes
- Politics
- Biography
- True story
