The details of King Harald V’s funeral has been unveiled by the Norwegian palace as tens of thousands continue to pay tribute to the late monarch.
Harald, a cousin of King Charles IIIdied on Friday at the age of 89 after a hospital stay in Oslo, where he was treated for hemolytic anemia, a condition that causes red blood cells to be destroyed at an abnormally rapid rate.
In a statement released by the palace on Sunday evening, it was confirmed that Harald – who ruled Norway for 35 years – will be buried on Wednesday, September 9 in Oslo Cathedral.
The funeral service, which starts at 1 p.m., will be led by the President of the Church of Norway, Olav Fykse Tveit. World leaders and royalty from around the world are expected to attend.
The late monarch’s death was announced on Friday by the Norwegian Royal Court in a statement that said: ‘It is with deep sadness that we announce that His Majesty King Harald has passed away.
“King Harald died peacefully at the Rikshospitalet of Oslo University Hospital on Friday, August 28 at 6:35 am.”
Harald, who is survived by his wife, Queen Sonja, was succeeded almost immediately by his son, 53-year-old King Haakon VIII.
He and other high-ranking members of the Norwegian royal family rushed to King Harald’s bedside at the national hospital in Oslo on Thursday after his health “deteriorated” due to an infection.
The funeral arrangements for King Harald of Norway have been confirmed by the Norwegian Royal Palace. Harald died on Friday at the age of 89 after a short stay in hospital
Norway’s new King Haakon VIII (pictured) made his first official speech to the nation on Saturday, describing Harald as ‘such a good father’ and a ‘loving and attentive husband’
A gallery of photographs of the Norwegian royal family is displayed in the Hall of Mirrors of the Royal Palace, where Haakon made his first speech as monarch
Tributes to King Harald have poured in from all over Norway (photo: tribute with flowers and candles to the late king on Palace Square)
On Saturday evening, the new king paid tribute to his late father in his first official speech as monarch, in which he thanked Harald ‘for everything he was and everything he did‘.
King Haakon wore a somber black suit and sat next to a photo of Harald. He described him as “such a good father” and a “loving and attentive husband.”
He said: ‘As King, my father represented Norway and the Norwegian people with pride and joy, through visits around the country, at events here at the Royal Palace and while working on behalf of Norway around the world.
‘I’m going to miss him. I will miss his laugh. His good-natured way of dealing with people and situations.’
King Haakon’s first official address to the nation came as tributes to his father poured in throughout the weekend.
On Friday, thousands of mourners came to Oslo to pay their respects to the late king, placing flowers, flags and condolence cards outside the Royal Palace.
Flags flew at half-mast throughout the country and portraits of Harald in dress uniform hung everywhere, from metro stations to public buildings.
Churches and town halls were also specially opened so that people could light candles and write down their thoughts about the late king in condolence books.
Hundreds of people gathered on Palace Square after the bier carrying King Harald passed through Oslo in a procession from the chapel of the National Hospital
The Norwegian Royal Palace lowers a flag to half-mast after the death of King Harald
Throughout the weekend, lit candles and flowers were placed in front of the palace
Flowers and children’s drawings lay outside the Royal Palace square as mourners gathered to pay tribute
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere looked at floral tributes outside the Royal Palace after the death of King Harald
The Presiding Bishop of the Church of Norway, Olav Fykse Tveit, was pictured lying with flowers in Palace Square
King Charles III on Friday expressed its “deepest and most sincere condolences” to the Norwegian royal family following the death of his “dear cousin”.
After the couple was removed, they were second cousins and shared great-great-grandparents Edward VII and Alexandra of Denmark.
He said: “As Norway mourns the loss of such a great figure, my entire family joins in remembering a much-loved relative and friend whose kindness, compassion and deep sense of duty echoed from across the sea and through the decades.
“The Queen and I extend our deepest and most sincere condolences to Queen Sonja and her entire family, as Britain shares in Norway’s grief at this time of such heartbreaking loss.”
The new king Haakon – the youngest child of Harald and Sonja – shares two children with his wife Mette-Marit, 22-year-old Princess Ingrid Alexandra and 20-year-old Prince Sverre Magnus.
Ingrid is now second in line to the throne, meaning that if she were to do so, she would be the first female monarch in Norway in more than 600 years. become queen – the last was Queen Margaret I, who died in 1412.
However, Haakon’s accession to the throne has not been without controversy.
In recent months, the wife of the new monarch, Mette-Marit53, has faced intense scrutiny following the release of the Epstein Files, which revealed she was staying with pedophiles Jeffrey Epstein‘s Palm Beach residence in 2013 – after he was convicted of soliciting sex from girls as young as 14.
King Harald V ruled Norway for 35 years and became the country’s oldest reigning monarch in 2024
Harald is pictured with his widow, Queen Dowager Sonja, and the late Queen Elizabeth II in London. On Friday, King Charles expressed his ‘deepest and most sincere condolences’ to the Norwegian royal family following the death of his ‘dear cousin’
Mette-Marit (pictured) has faced increased scrutiny following the release of the Epstein Files, which revealed she stayed at Jeffrey Epstein’s Palm Beach residence in 2013 – after he was convicted of soliciting sex from girls as young as 14
In June, Mette-Marit’s son Marius Borg Høiby (pictured) was convicted of two counts of rape and given a four-year prison sentence.
The new queen this year claimed she was misled by the late sex offender as she tried to minimize the fallout.
A new scandal also occurred in June when Mette-Marit’s son, Marius Borg Høiby, was convicted of two counts of rape and jailed for four years after a six-week trial that uncovered allegations of violence, drug abuse and sexual misconduct.
An Oslo court also found him guilty of assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Nora Haukland, making threats and committing traffic offences, although he was acquitted of two other rape charges.
The 29-year-old was accused of sexually assaulting four women who were asleep or otherwise unable to resist between 2018 and 2024.
The conviction marked a downfall for Høiby, who grew up in the public eye after his mother married then-Crown Prince Haakon in 2001 when he was just four.
Although he has no royal title and no official duties, he has long been closely associated with the Norwegian royal family.
King Haakon is also facing additional drama with the impending arrival of a second reality TV show from King Harald and Queen Sonja’s eldest daughter, Princess Martha Louise, and her “shaman” husband, Durek Verrett.
The couple’s first Netflix show, Rebel Royals: An Likely Love Story, took an “intimate look” at the love story between Martha Louise and Hollywood’s “half-reptilian and bisexual” shaman.
The film followed the couple as they “navigated a swirl of controversy” and prepared for their wedding, which took place in 2024 in the picturesque town of Geiranger.
In a movement called ‘Norway Megxit’, Martha Louise stepped down from her royal role in November 2022.
Eyebrows were raised when the princess first started dating Verrett, who holds a number of controversial and pseudoscientific views, including that cancer in children can be caused by ‘unhappiness’.
The couple was introduced by friends in 2019 and claimed to have known each other in a past life, specifically from ancient Egypt.
Their latest reality TV project adds to what has been and continues to be one of the most difficult periods for the Norwegian throne in modern times.
