Norway Pays Final Tribute To King Harald V As Royalty Gather For Funeral

Norway will bid a final farewell to King Harald V on Wednesday with a state funeral attended by royalty, political leaders and dignitaries from Europe and beyond. Harald, who died on August 28 at the age of 89, was Europe’s oldest reigning monarch and had led Norway for 35 years. His funeral will bring together foreign royals and senior officials to honour a king who played a prominent role in the country’s modern royal history.

Harald’s coffin will be taken from the Royal Palace to Oslo Cathedral in a ceremonial procession, with his son, King Haakon VIII, and other members of the Norwegian royal family following behind. Foreign guests, representatives of Norway’s parliament and other officials will also take part in the procession. Haakon became king immediately after his father’s death and last week pledged an oath of allegiance to Norway’s constitution in parliament, formally beginning his reign.

The funeral follows several days during which members of the public were able to pay their final respects to Harald as his coffin lay in state at the chapel of the Royal Palace in Oslo. More than 46,000 people visited the chapel during the week, with the waiting time reaching seven hours at one point over the weekend. Authorities are expecting large crowds in Oslo on Wednesday, with parts of the downtown area closed to vehicles and electric scooters and large screens installed for people to follow the ceremony.

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Several foreign monarchs and senior dignitaries are expected to attend the funeral. The monarchs of Sweden, Denmark, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium and Jordan are among those expected, along with Britain’s Prince William and Japan’s Crown Prince Akishino. European presidents will also join the gathering, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to attend after meeting Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in Oslo on Tuesday. The United States will be represented by Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker.

The ceremony will begin with a minute of silence observed across Norway, followed by eulogies from the speaker of parliament and the prime minister. A candlelighting ceremony involving representatives of different faiths will also form part of the service. After the funeral, Harald’s coffin will be carried in procession to the palace chapel at Akershus Castle, where his ancestors are buried, before being placed in the crypt following a private ceremony attended by members of the Norwegian royal family and selected guests.

Norway’s monarchy traces its origins to King Harald Fairhair in the ninth century and was restored when the country became independent from Sweden in 1905. Three-quarters of voters backed the restoration of the monarchy in a national plebiscite that year. Although the Norwegian throne now has a largely symbolic role, with political authority resting with the elected government and parliament, the royal family continues to represent the country at home and abroad. Harald’s funeral marks the conclusion of a 35-year reign during which the monarchy evolved while retaining its traditional place in Norwegian public life.

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