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Europe's Royals Gather in Oslo to Bid Farewell to King Harald V

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Prince William, three Nordic kings and President Zelensky joined mourners in Oslo as Norway laid King Harald V to rest after 35 years on the throne.

Norway said goodbye to King Harald V on Wednesday, as scores of European royals and heads of state travelled to Oslo for a funeral held nearly two weeks after the monarch's death at the age of 89. The Prince of Wales and three Nordic kings were among those who gathered to honour a ruler who spent 35 years on the throne.

The day's events opened at Akershus Fortress, the medieval castle overlooking the capital where Harald was later buried. A funeral procession then moved from the royal palace to Oslo Cathedral, watched by thousands of people who filled the streets along the route. A minute's silence was held across the whole country.

Harald's son and successor, King Haakon, walked behind the coffin on foot. He was joined by his sister, Princess Märtha Louise, and his two children, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus. Queen Mette-Marit, who recently came through a lung transplant, travelled by car alongside the late king's 89-year-old widow, Queen Sonja.

Prince William attended on behalf of his father, King Charles III. The Princess Royal was also present, though in a private role as godmother to Norway's new king. The pair were part of a group of around 30 royal guests drawn from Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Spain, Monaco, Jordan and Japan. Among them were Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf, King Frederik X of Denmark, Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands and Queen Letizia of Spain.

The guest list reached well beyond Europe's palaces. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier walked behind the coffin, and five foreign prime ministers also joined the mourners.

A eulogy inside the cathedral

During the service, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre delivered a eulogy praising the late king. He said Harald had managed to strike "a balance between being stately and down-to-earth" and that the monarch had "made Norway greater". Emotions ran high in the pews. Queen Mette-Marit was seen dabbing at her eyes, and Queen Sonja, visibly moved, placed a single red rose on her husband's coffin.

One unscripted moment marked the ceremony. As three tolls of the cathedral bell signalled the end of the minute's silence, the solemn pause was briefly broken by a mobile phone alarm sounding in the crowd.

Marius Borg Høiby, the late king's step-grandson, was granted permission to attend the service.

A modernising monarch

Harald had reigned for 35 years and was regarded as a popular figure who helped move the monarchy with the times. Those who followed the royal family often described him as widely respected and cherished, a figure many Norwegians thought of as a grandfather to the nation. The country observed 13 days of national mourning before the funeral took place.

In the day after his father's death, Haakon paid tribute to him, thanking him for "being such a good dad" and saying the king had "always stayed true" to his beliefs and commitments.

The final stretch of Harald's life had not been without difficulty. He and those close to him had dealt with personal strains and public controversy in his last months.

After the burial, the Norwegian royal family appeared on the palace balcony to acknowledge the crowds below. King Haakon stood alongside Queen Mette-Marit and Queen Sonja as they greeted the people who had come to mark the end of one reign and the start of another.

King Harald V, Norway royal funeral, King Haakon, Oslo Cathedral, Prince William, Queen Sonja, Norwegian monarchy, Volodymyr Zelensky

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