Norway Bids Farewell to Harald V

On September 9, lavish funeral rites were held in Oslo, the capital of Norway, for King Harald V, who died on August 28 at the age of 89.

Tens of thousands of people attended the farewell ceremony, while representatives of royal families and heads of other states arrived to support the deceased monarch’s relatives, reports CNN.

It began with a minute of silence. A 21-gun artillery salute rang out over Oslo, announcing the start of the funeral procession, which proceeded from the Royal Palace to the capital’s Cathedral.

The deceased’s son, the new King Haakon VIII, and other high-ranking members of the royal family walked behind the coffin, which was draped in Norway’s red royal standard. Harald’s widow, Queen Sonja, and Haakon’s wife, Queen Mette-Marit, followed them by car.

The monarchs of Sweden, Denmark, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Monaco and Jordan attended the funeral. The heir to the British throne, Prince William, who represented his father Charles III, and his aunt, the Princess Royal Anne, as well as Japan’s Crown Prince Akishino and political heads from more than 20 countries, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, flew in to pay their respects to Harald.

After the ceremony ended, the flags lowered as a sign of mourning were raised again, and a royal salute was also fired. The new King Haakon VIII greeted those present from the balcony of the Royal Palace, marking the beginning of his reign in the country.

After the farewell ceremony, Harald’s coffin was taken in the funeral procession to the palace chapel of Akershus Castle, where the deceased king’s ancestors rest. A private ceremony was held there for members of the Norwegian royal family, joined by some foreign guests and high-ranking Norwegian officials, after which the coffin was lowered into the crypt.

Immediately after the state funeral, Haakon VIII and Queen Mette-Marit hosted an official reception at the Royal Palace in Oslo. It was attended by members of the Norwegian government, world political heads who had arrived in Oslo, and representatives of numerous European and global royal dynasties, including the monarchs of Sweden, Denmark, Spain, the Netherlands and other countries.

After the reception ended, the entire royal family, including the widowed Queen Sonja and Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, went out onto the balcony of the Royal Palace to greet the tens of thousands of citizens gathered in the square.

How Norwegians said farewell to the king

Before the funeral, Norwegians patiently waited their turn to pass by Harald’s coffin, placed in the chapel of the royal palace.

One weekend, the line became so long that the wait lasted seven hours. During the week that the coffin was on display for people to pay their respects, more than 46,000 people visited the chapel. The government said that this day was not an official day off, but schools and organizations could, at their own discretion, allow students and employees to follow the events on Wednesday.

The authorities also recommended “suspending loud events for the duration of the funeral ceremony.”

A huge number of people gathered in Oslo to take part in the farewell ceremony. Thousands of citizens lined up behind barriers along streets decorated with national flags. Traffic and electric scooters were banned from the city center, and police urged people not to bring bicycles, umbrellas or sharp objects.

Residents across the country followed the broadcast. Large screens were installed in many churches, libraries, cultural centers and municipal administration buildings for public viewing of the ceremony.

King Harald V was the oldest monarch in Europe and ruled the country for 35 years. After his death, his son immediately became king and last week took an oath of allegiance to Norway's constitution in parliament.

Speaker of the Norwegian Parliament Masud Gharahkhani, speaking at the ceremony, said that "King Harald was close to the people" and recalled that "he was not afraid to go out among the people in rubber boots."