Prince William Joins Europe's Monarchs at King Harald V's State Funeral in Oslo

The Prince of Wales joined kings and queens from across Europe in Oslo on Wednesday for the state funeral of King Harald V of Norway, who died last month at the age of 89 after a reign of 35 years.

Prince William attended on behalf of King Charles, and the Princess Royal was also among the mourners at Oslo Cathedral. Royal guests from a dozen countries and 28 heads of state took part in the service, which ended nearly two weeks of national mourning in Norway.

The service and procession

Harald died on 28 August at Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet. His son succeeded him immediately as King Haakon VIII and took his oath before the Storting, the Norwegian parliament, on 1 September.

The late king had lain in state in the Royal Palace chapel from 31 August, with the public admitted to pay their respects each afternoon until 8 September. On Wednesday his coffin was carried on a gun carriage from the palace down Karl Johans gate, Oslo's main thoroughfare, flanked by mounted police and soldiers of the King's Guard. Gun salutes were fired at locations around the country.

The service began at 13:00 local time. It was led by Olav Fykse Tveit, the presiding bishop of the Church of Norway, and Sunniva Gylver, the Bishop of Oslo. Eulogies were given by Masud Gharahkhani, President of the Storting, and the prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre. The king was then interred in a private ceremony at the Royal Mausoleum in Akershus Fortress.

Who attended

The guest list reflected the close family and political ties between Europe's royal houses. Among those present were:

• King Frederik X and Queen Mary of Denmark, with Crown Prince Christian
• King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, with Crown Princess Victoria
• King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians
• King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands
• King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain
• The King and Queen of Jordan, Prince Albert and Princess Charlène of Monaco, and members of the grand ducal family of Luxembourg
• Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko of Japan

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky attended with his wife, Olena Zelenska. Heads of state from Germany, Finland, Ireland, Poland and the Baltic states were also among the political leaders present, and every country with a diplomatic mission in Norway was invited to send a representative.

A family link to Britain

The British royal family's presence carried personal as well as official weight. Harald's grandmother, Queen Maud of Norway, was a daughter of King Edward VII, which made Harald and the late Queen Elizabeth II second cousins. The two monarchies have remained close since Norway's royal family spent the Second World War in exile, with Harald's father, the future King Olav V, based in London for much of the conflict.

Harald had become the country's king on the death of Olav in January 1991, and his reign saw Norway grow into one of the world's wealthiest nations on the strength of its oil and gas revenues.

What happens next

Norway's period of court mourning will continue until 9 October, a month after the funeral, and flags at the Royal Palace have been flown at half-mast. Memorial services were held in churches nationwide on 30 August, and domestic football fixtures were postponed for 48 hours after the king's death.

King Haakon, who had increasingly carried out official duties during his father's final years of ill health, now takes on the full constitutional role of head of state, including presiding over the Council of State. Queen Sonja, Harald's widow, remains a senior member of the royal family.

Image: Superchilum via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0