Royal families and world leaders gather in Oslo to honor King Harald V

Dozens of European royals and heads of state, including the Prince of Wales and three Nordic monarchs, gathered in Oslo to pay tribute to King Harald V.

Thousands of spectators lined the route as the funeral procession wound from the royal palace to Oslo Cathedral on Wednesday afternoon, nearly two weeks after the 89‑year‑old monarch’s death.

Following the ceremony and interment, the Norwegian royal family—King Haakon, his wife Queen Mette‑Marit, and his mother Queen Sonja, who was also Harald’s widow—addressed the crowds from the palace balcony.

A nationwide minute of silence was observed. King Harald, regarded as a popular and modernizing monarch, reigned for 35 years.

After 13 days of national mourning, Wednesday’s ceremonies commenced with ceremonial troops assembling at Akershus Fortress, the medieval castle where Harald was subsequently interred.

The procession proceeded with King Haakon, his sister Princess Märtha Louise, and their children Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus walking behind the late king’s coffin.

Queen Mette‑Marit, who recently recovered from a lung transplant, and the 89‑year‑old Queen Sonja followed in an automobile.

Prince William, representing his father King Charles III, attended the service alongside Princess Anne, who was present in a personal capacity as godmother to Norway’s new monarch.

They were part of some 30 royal representatives from Sweden, Jordan, Monaco, Belgium, Spain, Japan, and Denmark.

Among the attending non‑royal heads of state were Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and German President Frank‑Walter Steinmeier, together with five foreign prime ministers.

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