King Haakon VIII met Prince William for the first time as the monarch of Norway after spending years together as heirs to their respective thrones.
The Prince of Wales attended Haakon’s funeral at Oslo Cathedral on behalf of his own father King Charles on Wednesday, while his aunt, the Princess Royalwas there in a private and personal capacity as godmother of the new king.
King Haakon was Crown Prince of Norway for more than thirty years before becoming king following the death of his father, King Harald V, on August 28, who died at the age of 89 after a reign of 35 years.
During this time, the 53-year-old monarch and Prince William, 44, regularly appeared together at major events, including European royal gatherings, state occasions and commemorations.
This included the Prince and Princess of Wales‘s royal tour of Norway in February 2018, hosted by then Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit.
The two royal couples met again in March 2023, when Prince William and Princess Catherine hosted the Norwegian royal family Windsor Castle.
Parallels have been drawn between the two young royals, who have both supported women facing serious health problems while carrying out royal duties.
In June, the Norwegian royal family announced that Queen Mette-Marit, now 53, had undergone a lung transplant. Norway’s new king said he would scale back and reorganize his official duties to support his wife
Prince William was welcomed by King Haakon on Wednesday during a reception at the palace after the funeral of King Harald V
Prince William and Kate Middleton attended an official dinner at the Royal Palace in Oslo with then Crown Prince Haakon and his wife Mette-Marit
The two royal couples met again at Windsor Castle in March 2023
The new queen missed her husband’s swearing-in ceremony due to “complications” from her recent lung transplant.
The decision mirrors a similar move in January 2024, when Prince William temporarily stepped away from public arrangements to support Kate during her treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer. The now 44-year-old princess revealed in January 2025 that she was in remission.
Meanwhile, both Prince William and King Haakon have siblings who have cut ties with their respective families.
King Haakon’s older sister, Princess Martha Louise of Norway, decided to leave royal life a year after ‘Megxit’. In 2019, the Norwegian royal family said Martha Louise could no longer use her princess title in business endeavors.
This was followed by the former princess’s decision in 2022 to step down from royal duties to devote time to commercial activities. Martha Louise had come under scrutiny over claims she was exploiting her royal title for financial gain, while facing backlash for alleged clairvoyant activities.
The flashpoint of this came in her 2024 marriage to American ‘shaman’ Durek Verrett, who promotes unverified medical beliefs. The couple then sold the exclusive wedding rights to Hello! magazine.
Like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the couple also starred in a Netflix documentary about their relationship, titled Rebel Royals: An Likely Love Story.
The funeral took place the same week King Charles made it absolutely clear in a letter to senior royal officials that Prince Harry and Meghan will not be taking on royal duties. The decision comes despite the couple’s move to Britain last month.
Prince William and Princess Anne at the funeral of King Harald of Norway, walking behind Crown Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko of Japan
Norway’s King Haakon, Queen Mette-Marit and Queen Sonja during the funeral ceremony for King Harald V
Marius Borg Hoiby arrives for the funeral of Norwegian King Harald V at Oslo Cathedral
The late King Harald V was mourned on Wednesday by his 89-year-old widow, Queen Sonja, and son King Haakon and his wife, Queen Mette-Marit. The late king died due to a rare blood disease known as hemolytic anemia.
They were accompanied by others royal houses from all over the world, including King Felipe of SpainQueen Rania of Jordan and princess Charlene of Monaco.
The coffin was brought from the palace to the cathedral in a procession of senior Norwegian monarchs, including King Haakon, foreign guests and representatives of the Norwegian and other parliaments.
King Haakon walked behind the coffin, draped with the red Norwegian royal standard, next to his eldest child Kroon Princess Ingrid Alexandranow heir apparent, his son Prince Sverre Magnus and his sister Princess Martha Louise.
The king’s stepson, Marius Borg Hoiby, who is currently serving a four-year prison sentence under house arrest at his parents’ Skaugum estate while he appeals his conviction on two counts of rape, was also present.
He previously joined his relatives last week to carry the coffin of the late King Harald from the Royal Palace to the palace chapel while he was temporarily released, sparking strong reactions from royal fans.
Oslo Bishop Sunniva Gylver looked somewhat stern as she greeted Hoiby on the cathedral steps before the service.
His mother Queen Mette-Marit and Harald’s widow, Queen Sonja, followed the coffin in a car.
Princess Martha Louise of Norway and her husband Durek Verrett during the funeral
The funeral ceremony for King Harald V in Oslo Cathedral
King Frederick and Queen Mary of Denmark and King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden also joined the procession.
Political leaders including Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky were also present.
Thousands of people lined the streets of the Norwegian capital to say goodbye for the last time to Harald, who ruled for 35 years.
Dozens of churches, libraries, cultural centers and town halls also made large screens available for the public to watch the funeral, public broadcaster NRK reported.
At the start of the funeral procession, a 21-gun salute sounded over the capital.
King Charles did not attend the event because under royal precedent the sovereign does not attend the funerals of other heads of state, and so the duty fell to William.
He was seen offering words of comfort to King Haakon and Crown Princess Alexandra during a reception at the Royal Palace after the funeral service.
The Prince of Wales also represented his father at Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican in April last year.
King Charles paid tribute to his ‘dear cousin’ and ‘dearly beloved kinsman and friend’ after news of the late King Harald’s death broke.
In a statement from Buckingham Palace, King Charles said the monarch served the Norwegian people with “unwavering dedication” and led them through times of change with “warmth and humility.”
Queen Elizabeth II and King Harald were second cousins and shared the same great-grandparents, King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. William and the now Princess of Wales conducted an official tour to Norway in 2018.
The Norwegian royal family also has relatives in other European royal families. Harald and Haakon are related to both King Charles and Spain’s King Felipe, who are all descendants of Queen Victoria.
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