Prince William and Princess Anne were among the senior royal figures who gathered in Oslo today for the funeral of Norway’s King Harald V, joining monarchs and representatives from across Europe and beyond.
The Prince of Wales attended the solemn service at Oslo Cathedral on behalf of his father, King Charles, while the Princess Royal was present in a personal capacity, reflecting her role as godmother to Norway’s new monarch, King Haakon VIII.
They were joined by a number of prominent European royals, including King Felipe of Spain and Princess Charlene of Monaco, as the continent’s royal houses paid their respects.
King Haakon walked in procession behind the coffin, which was covered with the red Norwegian royal standard. At his side were his eldest child, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, now first in line to the throne, his son Prince Sverre Magnus, and his sister Princess Martha Louise.
Also present with members of the Norwegian royal family was the King’s stepson, Marius Borg Hoiby, 29, who is serving a four-year prison sentence under house arrest at his parents’ Skaugum Estate as he appeals his conviction on two counts of rape.
He previously joined his relatives to carry the coffin of Harald from the Royal Palace to the palace chapel last week while temporarily released, sparking fierce backlash from royal fans, many of whom strongly condemned his presence at the occasion.
His mother, Queen Mette-Marit, who missed her husband’s swearing-in ceremony due to ‘complications’ from her recent lung transplant surgery in June, and Harald’s widow, Queen Sonja, followed the coffin in a car.
Prince William and his aunt Princess Anne have today joined royals from around the world at the funeral of King Harald V of Norway
Marius Borg Hoiby, left, arrives for the funeral of Norway’s King Harald V at Oslo Cathedral
Queen Mette-Marit of Norway arrives for the funeral ceremony of late King Harald V
The casket of late King Harald V of Norway leaves the Royal Palace in a royal procession to the Cathedral in Oslo
King Frederik and Queen Mary of Denmark and King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden also joined the royals walking behind the coffin, draped with the red Norwegian royal standard.
Thousands of people lined the streets of the Norwegian capital to bid a final farewell to Harald, who reigned for 35 years.
Norwegian officials and foreign dignitaries, among them political leaders including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, joined the procession.
People were tuning in from across the country. Scores of churches, libraries, cultural centers and city halls were making big screens available for the public to watch the funeral, public broadcaster NRK reported.
A 21-gun salute rang out over the capital at the start of the funeral procession from the royal palace to Oslo Cathedral.
Princess Anne was in attendance in a private capacity as the godmother of the new King of Norway, Haakon.
King Charles paid tribute to his ‘dear cousin’ and ‘much-loved kinsman and friend’ after news of Harald´s death was announced.
In a statement released by Buckingham Palace, he said the monarch served the people of Norway with ‘unwavering dedication’ and guided them through times of change with ‘warmth and humility’.
Under royal precedent, the sovereign does not attend funerals of other heads of state, and so the duty fell to William. The Prince of Wales represented his father at the funeral of Pope Francis in the Vatican in April last year.
The late Queen Elizabeth II and King Harald were second cousins and shared the same great-grandparents, King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.
William and the now-Princess of Wales carried out an official tour to Norway in 2018.
On 8 September, a group including Felipe, Letizia, Henri, the Serbian Crown Prince couple, Prince Alois of Liechtenstein, Princess Alexia, and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece were bussed to the Palace for the ceremony.
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Passing away on 28 August aged 89, King Harald V was Europe’s oldest reigning sovereign, ruling over Norway for 35 years.
Yet, despite modernising his family’s rule over the years, he refused to step down like other ageing monarchs.
His son immediately became King Haakon VIII and last week pledged an oath of allegiance to Norway’s constitution in parliament.
The coffin is being taken from the royal palace to Oslo Cathedral in a procession, followed by Haakon, other senior Norwegian royals, foreign guests and representatives of Norway’s parliament and others.
Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands walked behind Charlene of Monaco
Princess Charlene of Monaco put on a sombre display as she walked alongside her husband Prince Albert
Norway’s Prince Sverre Magnus, King Haakon, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra led the funeral procession
The funeral procession with Norway’s King Harald’s coffin leaves the Palace on the way to Oslo Cathedral on the day of his funeral
King Philippe of Belgium and Queen Mathilde of Belgium were among the European royals in attendance
Abdullah II of Jordan, Queen Rania of Jordan and Princess Charlene of Monaco followed the coffin
The coffin of His Majesty King Harald V is transported from the Royal Palace to Oslo Cathedral
In attendance are The Netherlands’ King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima, Princess Beatrix and Princess Catherina-Amalia, along with Prince William, Princess Anne, Denmark’s King Frederik, Queen Mary, Crown Prince Christian and Princess Benedikte.
Other royal guests include Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Carl Philip, Princess Sofia, Princess Madeleine and Princess Christina.
Ahead of the funeral, Norwegians waited patiently to file past Harald’s coffin as it lay in state in the chapel of the royal palace in Oslo, with the queue stretching seven hours long over the weekend.
After the funeral, Harald’s coffin will be taken in a procession to the palace chapel at Akershus Castle, where the late king’s ancestors are buried.
After a private ceremony for the Norwegian royals, who will be joined by some of the foreign guests and senior Norwegian officials, it will be lowered into the crypt.
Norway’s King Haakon and members of the Royal Guard stand next to the coffin of Norway’s King Harald during his funeral in Oslo
The Norwegian royal house has kinfolk in other European royal families. Harald and Haakon are related to both King Charles and Spain’s King Felipe. They´re all descendants of Queen Victoria.
Today, the throne’s role in Norway is largely symbolic and power lies with the elected government and parliament, but the Norwegian royal family retains a role in promoting the wealthy Scandinavian nation around the world.
Norway´s monarchy traces its origins to King Harald Fairhair in the ninth century. When Norway regained its independence from Sweden in 1905, three-quarters of voters in a national plebiscite approved restoring the monarchy.
A minute’s silence will be held across Norway at the start of the funeral ceremony. Eulogies will be delivered by Norway’s parliament speaker and prime minister, and there will be a candle-lighting ceremony with representatives of different faiths.
The government says it’s not an official holiday, but schools and workplaces could individually opt to let students and employees tune in for today’s events. The government advised that ‘noisy events should be suspended while the funeral is ongoing’.