Norway on Wednesday paid its final respects to King Harald V as his coffin was carried in a procession to Oslo Cathedral for a funeral attended by royals, political leaders and dignitaries from Norway and abroad.
A 21-gun salute marked the beginning of the procession from the Royal Palace to the cathedral. Harald’s son, newly crowned King Haakon VIII, and other senior members of the royal family walked behind the coffin, which was covered with the Norwegian royal standard.
Queen Sonja, Harald’s widow, and Queen Mette-Marit, the wife of King Haakon, followed in a car. Norwegian officials and international guests, including European royals and political leaders such as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, also took part in the procession.
Harald died on Aug. 28 at the age of 89. He was Europe’s oldest reigning monarch and had spent 35 years on the throne.
During his reign, Harald modernised the Norwegian royal household but chose not to abdicate, unlike several other elderly European monarchs in recent years. His son succeeded him immediately and formally pledged allegiance to Norway’s constitution in parliament last week.
Thousands of people gathered along Oslo’s streets to witness the procession, with many standing behind barriers decorated with Norwegian flags. Authorities closed central Oslo to vehicles and electric scooters and asked members of the public not to bring bicycles, umbrellas or sharp objects.
People across Norway were also able to follow the funeral through public screenings. Churches, libraries, cultural centres and city halls set up large screens for people to watch the ceremony, public broadcaster NRK reported.
Before the funeral, large numbers of Norwegians queued to pay their respects to Harald as his coffin lay in state at the chapel of the Royal Palace. The waiting line stretched to seven hours at one point during the weekend, while more than 46,000 people visited the chapel over the course of the week.
The guest list included the monarchs of Sweden, Denmark, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium and Jordan, as well as Britain’s Prince William and Japan’s Crown Prince Akishino. Presidents from several European countries were also expected to attend.
Zelenskyy was among the foreign leaders present. He met Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in Oslo on Tuesday to discuss the war in Ukraine. The United States was represented by Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker.
A nationwide minute of silence was scheduled for the beginning of the funeral. Norway’s parliamentary speaker and prime minister were to deliver eulogies, followed by a candle-lighting ceremony involving representatives of different faiths.
Although the government did not declare Wednesday an official holiday, schools and workplaces were allowed to make arrangements for people to watch the ceremony. Authorities also urged organisers to suspend noisy events while the funeral was taking place.
Following the service, Harald’s coffin was to be carried to the palace chapel at Akershus Castle, where generations of Norwegian royals are buried. After a private ceremony attended by members of the royal family, some foreign guests and senior Norwegian officials, the coffin was to be placed in the royal crypt.
Norway’s monarchy traces its roots to King Harald Fairhair in the ninth century. After Norway regained independence from Sweden in 1905, around three-quarters of voters backed the restoration of the monarchy in a national referendum.
The Norwegian royal family is related to several European royal houses. Harald and Haakon are also related to Britain’s King Charles III and Spain’s King Felipe VI, as all are descendants of Queen Victoria, who ruled Britain from 1837 until 1901.
The Norwegian monarchy today has largely a ceremonial role, with political authority resting with the elected government and parliament. The royal family, however, continues to play a role in representing Norway internationally and promoting the country’s interests abroad.