Following the passing of HM King Harald V (1937 - 2026) on August 28, Norway mourned its beloved, down-to-earth & ever present Monarch of 35 years (r. 1991-2026). The death, however, of the oldest (89) reigning European Monarch was equally noticed by his Sovereign counterparts across the continent and far beyond. From fellow Scandinavian Kingdoms (Sweden & Denmark) to the Asian Bhutan & Thailand, Reigning figures around the world paid tributes, sent their Condolences & observed mourning for Harald V. His State Funeral on September 9 was attended by six (foreign) Kings & Queens, two more Monarchs & their Consorts, two former Monarchs, a Regent & five more heirs apparents. Although Britain & Japan customarily sent their heirs, walking in the funeral procession behind The Royal Family of Norway were all the forementioned eight Monarchs, from Europe & Jordan, by length of reign; some of them wearing the red(-blue-white) shash of The Royal Order of St. Olav, of which the late King was The Sovereign.
King Harald's death was met by an outpouring of Royal Condolences from the first hours it had been announced. From neighboring Sweden, King Carl XVI Gustaf announced a period of Royal Court Mourning for his late second cousin-once removed, with Palace flags flying at half mast for two days & on the day of the funeral. His daughter, Crown Princess Victoria, paid tribute to her late godfather King Harald V, calling him "a role model", "an unusually nice person" who had "a ready laugh and a twinkle in his eye" and left "an impression that time never erases". About that same "twinkle in his eye", "warm & dry sense of humor" and "a big heart", also spoke the other Scandinavian Sovereign, King Frederik X of Denmark & his wife, Queen Mary. In a joint statement, Their Majesties remembered King Harald (second cousin to Frederik's mother, retired Queen Margrethe II) as "a strong unifying figure for the Norwegian people", "cherished like few others", who joined "duty and responsibility with presence and compassion" and "will be missed by many". Denmark's royal residences flew their flags at half mast on August 28, while both the Scandinavian Monarchs also sent their wishes to the new King Haakon VIII.
Messages of Condolences spread from most European Monarchies. Britain's King Charles III paid tribute to his "dear cousin", a "towering" figure & "much loved kingsman", "guiding Norway through times of great change" with "unwavering dedication" & "humility"; Flags across the United Kingdom & its overseas territories flew at half-mast until 8pm on the death day, while Buckingham Palace's Guard's Band honored the late Monarch with a performance. Belgium's King Philippe & Queen Mathilde (who officially visited Norway last March) described Harald (first cousin to Philippe's father, King Albert II) as "a King... close to his people", a "familiar and reassuring presense" and "beacon of stability for his country". From The Netherlands, King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima & (former Queen) Princess Beatrix also remembered their bond with King Harald & his "capacity for friendship & bringing people together". King Felipe VI & Queen Letizia of Spain said that King Harald V was an example of 'dignity, simplicity and responsibility'; while Monaco's Prince Albert II & Luxembourg's Grand Duke Guillaume V highlighted his environmentalism, Olympic values, sailing & dedication to his motto "Alt for Norge".
But marking the passing of a very esteemed, yet youthful Monarch wasn't only a mere of condolences & words of remembrance. Perhaps the most remarkable act of respect to such a bridge-builder Harald V was came from The Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan. HM King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, his father The Fourth Druk Gyalpo (Dragon King) Jigme Singye Wangchuck and Mother Gyalyum (Queen) Tshering Yangdoen Wangchuck, led members of The Royal House of Wangchuck, Bhutanese officials & Norwegian Envoys in a special Buddhist ceremony, lighting 1,000 butterlamps at The Grand Kuenrey of Tashichhodzong for the repose of His late Majesty's soul. The most renowned Asian Monarchs, HIM Emperor Naruhito (of Japan) & HM King Rama X (Vajiralongkorn) of Thailand also extended their Condolences, as did Sovereign Leaders from The Middle East (The Royal Hashemite Court of Jordan declared three days of mourning). Several Heads of formerly reigning Royal Families paid tribute to King Harald V; among them Pavlos de Grece (former Greek Crown Prince) - sharing a joint ancestry from The Danish Royal Family and Alexander Karađorđević, former Crown Prince of Yugoslavia.
From early September; official attendances to the late King's State Funeral were being confirmed. The Swedish Royal Family was the most represented, with all its adult members in attendance: King Carl XVI Gustaf & Queen Silvia; their children & in laws: Crown Princess Victoria & Prince Daniel, Prince Carl Philip & Princess Sofia, Princess Madeleine & Christopher O'Neil; and the King's sister Princess Christina & (brother-in-law) Tord Magnusson travelled to Stockholm to be there on September 9. The Court mourning in Sweden lasted until the end of the funeral, with several engagements cancelled. On the day of King Harald's Funeral, The Seraphim Toll took place from 12:00 to 13:00 in Stockholm. The ceremony, traditionally held for every deceased knight of The Royal Order of Seraphim, included the procession of His late Majesty's Seraphim Shield (at 11:55') from The Royal Palace's west wing (where all living knights have their shields) to Riddarholmen Church, where the knight's death is announced & an hour-long bell toll marks the farewell, before his shield is stored inside the church. King Harald V was the 734th Knight of The Order of Seraphim, appointed by King Gustaf VI Adolf on 10 April 1958.
Denmark was due to be represented by three generations of former, current & future Monarchs at the funeral. King Frederik X & Queen Mary, their son Crown Prince Christian, Frederik's mother (former) Queen Margrethe & her sister Princess Benedikte were all due to attend. However, it was announced on Sunday, September 6, that Queen Margrethe (86) had been admitted to Rigshospitalitet (Denmark's National Hospital) due to a new blood clot & mild dehydration. Her Majesty (who had already been hospitalized twice this year) was feeling well under the circumstances, but was required to remain under medical observation for about a week, and thus had to miss the farewell with her second cousin & dear friend. She was eventually discharged from the hospital on Thursday, September 10. The rest of The Royal Family (plus Princess benedikte's daughter, Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein Berleburg) attended; and flags from Amalienborg's Palace in Copenhagen also flew at half mast on September 9. Belgium was represented by TM King Philippe & Queen Mathilde at the funeral. An official visit of TM The King & Queen of The Belgians to Denmark scheduled for September 8 to 10 has been postponed.
From The Netherlands, three generations of former-current & future Monarchs did manage to attend together: King Willem-Alexander & Queen Máxima, their daughter Catharina Amalia, Princess of Orange and The King's mother (& predecessor) Princess Beatrix. Black ribbons were attached on the Dutch Royal Standard Flags, flying at full staff on top of Huis ten Bosch & Noordeinde Palaces. Spain was represented by TM King Felipe VI & Queen Letizia, as well as The King's mother, Queen Sofia. Luxembourg saw both its Sovereign Grand Ducal Couple, Guillaume V & Stéphanie, and retired Grand Duke Henri (wearing his St. Olav's Order Shash) paying their last respects to their relative. Both Grand Duke Henri & King Philippe (of Belgium) are first cousins once removed to Harald V, through a parent. Monaco was represented by its Sovereign Prince Albert II & Princess (Consort) Charlene while flags on top of the Princely Palace (with His Serene Highness's Standard) flew at half mast for the day. Beyond Europe, His Majesty King Abdullah II of The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, accompanied by his wife, Queen Rania Al Abdullah, were the only Sovereign Couple outside the continent to join the farewell.
At 12:00' on September 9, The Royal Family of Norway led the funeral procession from Oslo's Royal Palace to the National Cathedral. Monarchs & Royalty (all but a few senior) followed on foot, by order of their length of reign: Sweden, Jordan, Monaco, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Denmark, and Luxembourg. Behind them followed Heirs to the Throne, on behalf of Monarchs. Alois, The Hereditary Prince Regent & his wife Hereditary Princess Sophie representing The Sovereign Prince of Liechtenstein. Next to them, Their Imperial Highnesses Fumihito, The Crown Prince Akishino & (his wife) Crown Princess Kiko on behalf of The Emperor of Japan. Following them, The British King's representative: William, Prince of Wales, and (The King's sister) Anne, Princess Royal, in unofficial capacity (as King Haakon VIII's godmother). Both the British & Japanese Monarch do not attend state funerals of foreign leaders, according to protocol (apart from rare exceptions). ('Prince') Pavlos of Greece walked at the end of royal procession. His mother, Queen Anne-Marie, a second cousin of King Harald, was in attendance, alongside his siblings Alexia & Nikolaos, and brother in law Carlos Morales.
Inside The National Cathedral of Oslo, where those in procession entered at around 12:45', Royalty who did not take part in the 1,2 km route march were already seated. They included Queen Silvia of Sweden, Queen Sofia of Spain, Princess Beatrix of The Netherlands, Princess Christina of Sweden and siblings Princess Benedikte of Denmark & Queen Anne-Marie of Greece. In attendance from the former Monarchies were also Alexander (final) Crown Prince of Yugoslavia & his wife 'Crown Princess' Katherine, and Bulgaria's Kyril, titular Prince of Preslav (son of the last Tsar Simeon II Saxe-Coburg-Gotha), his former wife Rosario Nadal & partner Katharine Butler. Prince Turki Bin Muhammad bin Fahd Al Saud represented his great-uncle, Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz (to whom only King Harald V was second of the world's oldest reigning Sovereign Monarchs), & tolerance Minister Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan was there on behalf of The UAE President (among non-royal VIPs).
During the service Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden was the only royal to deliver a sermon for her godfather. She read 'Saint Francis of Assissi's Prayer' in Swedish, indicating the late King's bond to the country. King Harald's mother Crown Princess Märtha, was a princess of Sweden by birth ( as was her sister, Queen Astrid of Belgium, mother to Luxembourg's Grand Duchess Josephine Charlotte and Belgian Kings Baudoin & Albert II). To the poignance of the unique bond - & close relation - between Scandinavian Monarchs, at the second procession to the 13-century's Akershus Fortress, King Haakon VIII was only joined by his fellow (godfather) King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden & (third cousin & best man) King Frederik X of Denmark in walking behind King Harald V's coffin. The committal service at 15:30' was attended by all foreign Royalty, who later extended in person words of support to the new King, dowager Queen Sonja & Crown Princess Ingrid, at the Royal Palace before the reception at 17:00.
This is the end of a series of Blog Posts, marking The Sovereign Succession of The King of Norway:
https://royaleventsintheword.blogspot.com/2026/08/breaking-king-harald-v-of-norway-dies.html
https://royaleventsintheword.blogspot.com/2026/09/all-for-norway-king-haakon-viii-ascends.html
https://royaleventsintheword.blogspot.com/2026/09/norways-grandfather-king-harald-v-1937.html
https://royaleventsintheword.blogspot.com/2026/09/state-funeral-of-hm-king-harald-v-to-be.html
https://royaleventsintheword.blogspot.com/2026/09/state-funeral-of-hm-king-harald-v-part.html
Videos:
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