The State Funeral of His Late Majesty King Harald V of Norway takes place on Wednesday, 9th September 2026, twelve days after Europe's oldest reigning Monarch's death at the age of 89. The funeral service, set to be attended by over 20 Heads of State (including 8 Sovereign Monarchs) & foreign Royalty begins at 13:00, at The Cathedral of Oslo, presided over by The Preses of The Bishops' Conference & assisted by The Bishop of Oslo. A Nationwide minute of silence will be held at the beginning of the service, after the funeral procession, starting 12:00, will transport the late King's coffin on a gun carriage from The Royal Palace, followed by The Royal Family & foreign dignitaries on foot. King Harald V will be laid to rest at around 14:40 after a private service at The Royal Mausoleum of Askerhus Fortress's Church, underneath a new sarcophagus, next to those of his parents & paternal grandparents (previous kings). King Harald is lying in state at The Royal Chapel of Oslo's Royal Palace from Tuesday 1 to Tuesday 8 September, after having been moved there from The Royal Palace on August 31. The National Mourning in Norway will end upon the King's burial, while Court mourning will last for another month.
Following the death of King Harald V at 06:35'am on 28 August 2026, His late Majesty's body was placed to a coffin & transported from Rigshospitalitet (Oslo University Hospital) to The Royal Palace in a hearse procession, that Friday evening, at 18:30. The entire Royal Family, including his widow, Queen Sonja, son new King Haakon VIII, daughter-in-law Queen Mette-Marit, daughter Princess Märtha Louise, and five grandchildren arrived at the palace to pay their last respects. While King Harald's coffin lay open at the Red Drawing Room, no photograph of the deceased Monarch was taken, unlike in the death of his two predecessors, Olav V (1991) & Haakon VII (1957). Countless of floral tributes, candles, drawings & flags filled the Square outside The Royal palace of Oslo, as a royal flag lay hung at half mast from the Palace's Balcony, with a black ribbon attached. On Sunday, August 30, memorial masses across the country took place for King Harald, with King Haakon, Crown Princess Ingrid, Queen Sonja & Prince Sverre Magnus attending the service in Asker Church at 11:00am. Queen Mette-Marit, who is still recovering following a lung transplant, watched a series of tributes outside their Royal Residence in Skaugum Estate, Asker.
On Monday, 31 August 2026, at 16:00, the late King's coffin, sealed & drapped into the Norwegian Royal Standard, was pulled on a wheeled bier by his children, King Haakon VIII & Princess Märtha Louise, grandchildren Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Prince Sverre Magnus, Maud Angelica Behn, Leah Isadora Behn & Emma Tallulah Behn, and step-grandson, Marius Borg Høiby in a procession through palace rooms, leading to The Banqueting Hall. Queen Sonja & Queen Mette-Marit followed behind holding hands, in this solemn procession through The Yellow Saloon, Hall of Mirrors, Dining Room, Small & Big Banqueting Hall. Leading was The Lord Chamberlain, carrying the Royal Crown, followed by The Head of The Royal Secretariat with The Sword of State, while other courtiers carried His late Majesty's most important Norwegian, Danish, Swedish and British Orders on cushions behind the procession. Palace Staff lined in honour and followed the procession once it passed. From the Great Banqueting Hall the coffin was handed over to court officials, transported to The Royal Chapel, placed on a velvet Catafalque with Royal Regalia on its top & royal orders on the footing; a short service held.
King Harald V's lying-in-state began Tuesday, 1 September (2026) from 2:00 to 6:00pm, and continued for the next week (2 to 8 September) from 10:00am to 6:00pm daily. Clear instructions were given to all those wishing to file past the coffin of the late King reigned for 35 years, be they either state officials or ordinary people alike. Everyone stood in a queue waiting for about 4 hours, but the extended waiting on Friday (up to 7 hours) prompted to extend the hours of public viewing (until 23:00 on Saturday, Sunday, Monday & until 19:00 on Tuesday). Members of the government, Storting (Parliament) and Supreme Court also paid their respects, as did Princess Astrid, the 94-year-old surviving sister of King Harald, who was pictured in a wheelchair bidding her younger brother farewell, and watching the countless tributes from the window of the Royal Palace to the square outside. Their Majesties The King & Queen with their children & Queen Sonja also watched the tributes on the night of August 31. Earlier that evening Their Majesties, joined by the widowed Queen & Princess Märtha went out of the palace to lay a flower alongside other tributes to King Harald while the public gathered cheered & paid them tribute.
By the end of the eight-day lying in state on Tuesday 8/09/2026, at 19:00, ~46,000 people from all over Norway and beyond filed past King Harald's bier & paid their last respects. Pictures of Queen Sonja, the late King's beloved wife, were also released standing by her husband's coffin; next to her wreath writing "Thank you for a Good Life", indicating their near 58 years of marriage and nine more as a couple. For those who were not able to file past, designated areas are suggested during The State Funeral taking place Wednesday. People will be able to watch either the procession, or the whole farewell from giant screens installed. Security arrangements for the first Scandinavian Monarch's funeral in the 21st century will be tight, with about 19,000 police personell deployed in the streets of Oslo. Certain sites (Akershus Castle) will be closed, & transport adjusted. After the end of the funeral, The Royal Family will make an appearance from The Balcony of The Royal Palace at 4:45pm to greet & thank well wishers. Books of Condolences are also open both online and in person, with those on the digital page of the official site of The Royal House of Norway available for a month, before they will be saved in PDF and archived.
As King Harald V's Funeral plans went ahead, foreign heads of state and government began confirming their attendance on Wednesday, September 9 at Oslo's Cathedral. Among the expected Royal attendees are The Kings & Queens of: Denmark, Sweden, Spain, The Netherlands & Belgium, as well as Monarchs from Jordan, Luxembourg & Monaco, and Heirs from Japan, The United Kingdom and Liechtenstein. Queen Margrethe of Denmark, 86, had to pull out her planned attendance after hospitalization for a blood clot on the hip & dehydration for a week, on Sunday September 6 (2026). The Sovereign Monarchs & Royalty will join the Funeral Procession (12:00), Service (13:00), Private Committal (14:45) & reception at The Royal Palace (17:00) after the end of the burial. While flags will be risen to full-staff again after 15:20 and a 21 gun-salute firing & hour-long bell-ringing will signify the end of the National Mourning in Norway, the Royal Court will remain in mourning until October 9. During this period royal appearances and activities will be limited to only the most necessary while The Royal Court's staff workload will be reorganized, to adapt to a different agenda into the new Reign.
THIS IS THE FIRST PART. PRIOR THE FUNERAL; FOR EVENTS ON/ AFTER 9 SEPTEMBER, A NEW BLOG POST WILL BE WRITTEN. CONTINUING FROM WHERE IT WAS LEFT HERE
Videos:
Sources:
https://royalcentral.co.uk/royal-news/king-harald-funeral-218952/
https://www.kongehuset.no/presse/pressemeldinger/kong-haralds-bare-til-slottskapellet
https://royalcentral.co.uk/europe/norway/king-haakon-church-service-218948/
https://www.kongehuset.no/for-pressen/information-in-english/the-funeral-of-king-harald-v-en
https://apnews.com/article/norway-royals-king-harald-death-memorial-service-d116f36cfcc496a1680ef03d5389399d
https://www.kongehuset.no/for-pressen/information-in-english/court-mourning-to-be-observed-for-one-month-after-the-funeral-of-king-harald-v-en
https://royalcentral.co.uk/europe/norways-royal-family-to-step-back-from-public-life-until-october-218993/
https://www.kongehuset.no/presse/pressemeldinger/slik-blir-kong-harald-vs-gravferd
https://royalcentral.co.uk/royal-news/queen-sonjas-poignant-tribute-to-king-harald-is-shared-on-the-eve-of-his-funeral-219057/
https://www.kongehuset.dk/presse/pressemeddelelse-h-m-dronning-margrethe-er-blevet-indlagt-paa-rigshospitalet
https://royalcentral.co.uk/royal-news/queen-margrethe-hospitalised-219016/
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