Prince William and Princess Anne Attend King Harald of Norway’s Funeral

Prince William and Princess Anne joined dozens of world leaders in attending King Harald of Norway’s state funeral in Oslo on Wednesday, Sept. 9.

The Prince of Wales, 44, and the Princess Royal, 76, were seen arriving for the service at the Oslo Cathedral after taking part in the solemn funeral procession behind the Norwegian royals.

 

 

Prince William attended as a representative of his father, King Charles, in keeping with a long-standing tradition that the British sovereign almost never attends the funerals of other heads of state. In fact, over the course of her 70-year reign, the late Queen Elizabeth only attended one: the funeral of King Baudouin of Belgium in 1993.

Princess Anne was at the funeral in a more private capacity, as the godmother of the new King Haakon.

 

 

Also in attendance at the service were King Felipe, Queen Letizia and Queen Sofía of Spain; King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima, Princess Amalia and Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands; King Carl Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia, Princess Madeleine and Princess Christina of Sweden; King Frederik, Queen Mary, Crown Prince Christian and Princess Benedikte of Denmark; King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium; King Abdullah and Queen Rania of Jordan; Prince Albert of Monaco; Crown Prince Akishino (Fumihito) and Crown Princess Akishino (Kiko) of Japan; and more.

 

 

The funeral ceremony began with a procession from the Royal Palace to Oslo Cathedral. The King’s bier, the framework carrying his coffin, was followed by King Haakon, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 22, Prince Sverre Magnus, 20, on foot. Haakon’s wife Queen Mette-Marit, and his mother Queen Sonja, 89, traveled in a royal car. Heads of state and members of the royal court were also in attendance.

Inside the cathedral, the service was led by Presiding Bishop Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, with remarks by Masud Gharahkhani, the President of the Storting, and Jonas Gahr Støre, the prime minister of Norway.

 

 

Following the service, the King will be interred in the Royal Mausoleum at Akershus Fortress, alongside the late King Haakon VII, Queen Maud, King Olav V & Crown Princess Märtha.

The royal family will then make an appearance from the balcony of the Royal Palace before hosting select guests for a reception.

King Harald died at the Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet in the early morning hours of Friday, Aug. 28. He was 89 years old and had spent nearly two weeks in the hospital being treated for a rare blood condition.

 

 

King Charles, 77, was among those to share a social media tribute following the news of King Harald’s death.

“It is with the most profound sadness that my wife and I have learned of the death of my dear cousin, King Harald V of Norway,” King Charles wrote in an Instagram post. “For thirty-five years, King Harald served his people with unwavering dedication, guiding Norway through times of great change with warmth and humility.”