Norway has bid farewell to King Harald V, whose burial brought 13 days of national mourning to a close after his death at 89.
Harald, a reform-minded monarch who spent more than 30 years on the throne, gradually stepped out from the shadow of his charismatic and widely admired father. His death came as Norway’s royal family faced a series of crises.
- Advertisement -
At noon, or 11am Irish time, the king’s coffin began its journey on foot from the Royal Palace to Oslo Cathedral. Cannon fire from the city’s Akershus Fortress punctuated the procession.
Police said tens of thousands of people gathered along Karl Johan Avenue in the capital, where the crowds fell silent as the coffin passed.
Among those attending were President Catherine Connolly, Britain’s Prince William and Princess Anne, Japan’s Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, Spain’s King Felipe, Queen Letizia and Queen Sofia, Sweden’s royal family, and Denmark’s King Frederik and Queen Mary.
Heads of state from around the world had been invited to the funeral.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy also took part in the procession.
He had arrived in Oslo the previous evening and met Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre to discuss the war with Russia, officials from both countries said.
As President Zelensky departed the cathedral, members of the crowd applauded and cheered.
The United States was represented by Allison Hooker, the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, according to the Norwegian government.
King Haakon VIII and Queen Mette-Marit appeared on the Royal Palace balcony after the funeral
Queen Mette-Marit, the commoner who married Norway’s new King Haakon VIII, was present for the service.
However, the 53-year-old travelled by car alongside Queen Sonja, King Harald’s 89-year-old widow.
Queen Mette-Marit is recovering from a lung transplant performed in June.
She was forced to withdraw from her husband’s oath ceremony in parliament last week after developing complications linked to the operation.
Her son, Marius Borg Hoiby, who was born before her marriage to King Haakon, also attended the funeral.
Hoiby is under house arrest and wears an ankle monitor following his conviction for rape and domestic violence.
The 29-year-old is appealing against the sentence.
He served as one of the pall-bearers when King Harald’s coffin was moved to the royal chapel on 31 August, a decision that drew criticism in Norway and abroad.
Member of His Majesty the King’s Guard walked ahead of the coffin of King Harald V
Following the funeral service, four F-35 fighter jets passed over Oslo Cathedral. One broke formation in a symbolic gesture marking the king’s death.
The coffin was then accompanied by a smaller procession to the royal crypt at Akershus Fortress, overlooking Oslo’s harbour, as Frederic Chopin’s Funeral March played.
Inside the crypt, King Harald’s coffin was placed in a sarcophagus beside those of his parents.
The formal mourning period ended when his son, Haakon, emerged from the crypt.
Flags were lifted from half-mast, while church bells rang across Norway for an hour.
Hundreds of thousands of Norwegians paid tribute to King Harald outside the Royal Palace
Norwegian police described the security operation as the largest planned deployment in the force’s history as vast crowds converged on central Oslo.
Hundreds of thousands of mourners honoured King Harald by leaving flowers, candles and flags outside the Royal Palace or filing past his coffin in the royal chapel.
Many spoke warmly of his inclusive approach, while King Haakon called him a wonderful father in his first address to the nation as sovereign.
The monarchy remains broadly supported despite the royal family’s recent difficulties.
A Norstat opinion poll for broadcaster NRK, published on 1 September and conducted after King Harald’s death, found that 72% of Norwegians backed the monarchy, while 20% preferred a republic or another form of government.
