Royal Marines and British Army personnel attended the funeral of King Harald V of Norway on Wednesday in Oslo.
Twenty Royal Marines formed a marching detachment that lined the route of the procession, while personnel from the 1st Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment, also participated as part of the United Kingdom’s tribute.
The King, who passed away on 28 August, once fostered a close bond with the British armed services. As an Honorary Colonel in the Royal Marines and an Honorary General in the British Army, he cultivated a dedicated 45‑year partnership. He continued to maintain formal contact with UK Commando Forces leadership on an annual basis and upheld a sharp, active interest in the Corps throughout his reign.
His father, King Olav V, had been appointed an Honorary Admiral in the Royal Navy in 1958. In 1961, King Olav and his son—the then Crown Prince Harald—were welcomed aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes during the Navy’s regional engagement visit to Oslo.
When Crown Prince Harald ascended the throne, he became the first foreign royal to receive an honorary commission in the Royal Marines when Queen Elizabeth II appointed him Honorary Colonel of the Royal Marines in March 1981. His inaugural visit to the establishment took place that October, when he toured CTCRM Lympstone and RM Bickleigh, observing a cliff assault by the 40th Commando and a demonstration of jungle warfare led by the 42nd Commando.
The royal family’s enduring connection persisted across his reign. In 2018, Harald visited X Company, 45 Commando, at Vaernes Camp in Norway during Exercise Trident Juncture—NATO’s largest collective defence exercise in a decade—where he received a briefing on the Corps’ role in the operation and shared in celebrations marking the Royal Marines’ 354th birthday.
