Prince William and his aunt Princess Anne have today joined royals from around the world at the funeral of King Harald V of Norway.
The Prince of Wales represented his father, King Charles, at the service at Oslo Cathedral, while the Princess Royal attended in a private and personal capacity as godmother of the new king, Haakon VIII.
They were joined by other European royals including King Felipe of Spain, Queen Rania of Jordan and Princess Charlene of Monaco.
The coffin was taken from the palace to the cathedral in a procession of senior Norwegian royals including King Haakon, foreign guests and representatives from Norway’s and other parliaments.
Haakon walked behind the coffin, draped with the red Norwegian royal standard, alongside his oldest child, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, now heir to the throne, his son Prince Sverre Magnus and his sister Princess Martha Louise.
The King’s stepson Marius Borg Hoiby, 29, who is currently serving a four-year prison sentence under house arrest at his parents’ Skaugum Estate while he appeals his conviction for two counts of rape, also joined members of the Norwegian royal family at the cathedral.
He previously joined his relatives to carry the coffin of Harald from the Royal Palace to the palace chapel last week while temporarily released, sparking fierce backlash from royal fans, many of whom strongly condemned his presence at the occasion.
His mother, Queen Mette-Marit, who missed her husband’s swearing-in ceremony due to ‘complications’ from her recent lung transplant surgery in June, and Harald’s widow, Queen Sonja, followed the coffin in a car.
Prince William was joined by his aunt Princess Anne at the funeral of King Harald of Norway. They were seen 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, left, arrives for the funeral of Norway’s King Harald V at Oslo Cathedral
The funeral ceremony for King Harald V in Oslo Cathedral
Princess Martha Louise of Norway and her husband Durek Verrett during the funeral
Queen Mette-Marit of Norway arrives for the funeral ceremony of late King Harald V
The casket of late King Harald V of Norway leaves the Royal Palace in a royal procession to the Cathedral in Oslo
King Felipe of Spain and his wife Queen Letizia were among the mourners who flew into Oslo for the solemn occasion
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky walk as part of the procession
King Frederik 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 and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were also in attendance.
Thousands of people lined the streets of the Norwegian capital to bid a final farewell to Harald, who reigned for 35 years.
Scores of churches, libraries, cultural centers and city halls were also making big screens available for the public to watch the funeral, public broadcaster NRK reported.
A 21-gun salute rang out over the capital at the start of the funeral procession from the royal palace to Oslo Cathedral.
King Charles was not at the sombre event because under royal precedent, the sovereign does not attend funerals of other heads of state, and so the duty fell to William.
The Prince of Wales represented his father at the funeral of Pope Francis in the Vatican in April last year.
Meanwhile, King Charles paid tribute to his ‘dear cousin’ and ‘much-loved kinsman and friend’ after news of Harald´s death was announced.
King Haakon was joined by his daughter Crown Princess Ingrid for a final farewell to his father
The funeral cortege making its way from the Palace to Oslo cathedral for the service
Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands walked behind Charlene of Monaco
Princess Charlene of Monaco put on a sombre display as she walked alongside her husband Prince Albert
Prince William, Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece and Princess Anne at today’s sombre occasion
Prince William travelled to Norway to represent his father, King Charles, at the service
Prince William speaks with Spain’s Queen Sofía and Crown Prince Christian of Denmark
Prince William and Princess Anne join royals from around the world at the funeral of Harald
Norway’s Queen Sonja, King Haakon, and Queen Mette-Marit arrive at the funeral ceremony of Norway’s King Harald
Queen Mette-Marit appeared solemn at her father-in-law’s funeral
Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco (pictured right) and Queen Rania of Jordan (pictured centre)
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands at Oslo Cathedral
Japan’s Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, Prince William and Princess Anne follow in the procession
In a statement released by Buckingham Palace, he said the monarch served the people of Norway with ‘unwavering dedication’ and guided 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 carried out an official tour to Norway in 2018.
The Norwegian royal house also has kinfolk in other European royal families. Harald and Haakon are related to both King Charles and Spain’s King Felipe. They´re all descendants of Queen Victoria.
Passing away on 28 August aged 89, King Harald V was Europe’s oldest reigning sovereign. Yet, despite modernising his family’s rule over the years, he refused to step down like other ageing monarchs.
His son immediately became King Haakon VIII and last week pledged an oath of allegiance to Norway’s constitution in parliament.
Ahead of the funeral, Norwegians waited patiently to file past Harald’s coffin as it lay in state in the chapel of the royal palace in Oslo, with the queue stretching seven hours long over the weekend.
After the funeral, Harald’s coffin will be taken in a procession to the palace chapel at Akershus Castle, where the late king’s ancestors are buried.
After a private ceremony for the Norwegian royals, who will be joined by some of the foreign guests and senior Norwegian officials, it will be lowered into the crypt.
Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, Denmark’s King Frederik and Queen Mary and Denmark’s Crown Prince Christian walk in the procession
Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store bows to the coffin during the funeral ceremony
King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and Crown Princess Catharina-Amalia of Netherlands finding their seats ahead of the service
Queen Letizia of Spain, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands during the procession
Today, the throne’s role in Norway is largely symbolic and power lies with the elected government and parliament, but the Norwegian royal family retains a role in promoting the wealthy Scandinavian nation around the world.
Norway´s monarchy traces its origins to King Harald Fairhair in the ninth century. When Norway regained its independence from Sweden in 1905, three-quarters of voters in a national plebiscite approved restoring the monarchy.
A minute’s silence will be held across Norway at the start of the funeral ceremony. Eulogies will be delivered by Norway’s parliament speaker and prime minister, and there will be a candle-lighting ceremony with representatives of different faiths.
The government says it’s not an official holiday, but schools and workplaces could individually opt to let students and employees tune in for today’s events. The government advised that ‘noisy events should be suspended while the funeral is ongoing’.
Earlier today, European royalty were spotted arriving at the five-star Grand Hotel in the capital after having landed at Oslo Airport.
Spain’s King Felipe was photographed exiting a bus before entering the luxury accommodation, waving at cameras as he walked on a red carpet toward the entrance of the lobby, while carrying his own beige-toned duffel bag.
Several royals also arrived at the same hotel on Tuesday, with Luxembourg’s former Grand Duke Henri, Princess Alexia of Greece, and Carlos Morales Quintana stepping off a bus, while Japan’s Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko arrived in a Mercedes-Benz.
According to TV 2, many of these high-profile guests opted for shared transit later that day. A group including Felipe, Letizia, Henri, the Serbian Crown Prince couple, Prince Alois of Liechtenstein, Princess Alexia, and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece all took a bus together to the Palace.
Norway’s Prince Sverre Magnus, King Haakon, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra led the funeral procession
The funeral procession with Norway’s King Harald’s coffin leaves the Palace on the way to Oslo Cathedral on the day of his funeral
King Philippe of Belgium and Queen Mathilde of Belgium were among the European royals in attendance
Abdullah II of Jordan, Queen Rania of Jordan and Princess Charlene of Monaco followed the coffin
The coffin of His Majesty King Harald V is transported from the Royal Palace to Oslo Cathedral
After a private ceremony for the Norwegian royals, who will be joined by some of the foreign guests and senior Norwegian officials, it will be lowered into the crypt. Pictured, the King and Queen of Jordan, and the Prince and Princess of Monaco and the King and Queen of the Netherlands
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, pictured centre, and Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store walk behind the coffin
Queen Sonja of Norway and Queen Mette-Marit of Norway arrive via car for the funeral together
The coffin of Norway’s King Harald is carried into Oslo Cathedral ahead of his funeral ceremony
The casket of late King Harald V of Norway leaves the Royal Palace in a royal procession to the cathedral in Oslo
Harald’s coffin passes floral tributes and mourners in the streets of Oslo
Members of the Norwegian royal family Queen Sonja, King Haakon, Queen Mette-Marit, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Prince Sverre Magnus and Princess Martha speak with the members of the catherdral before the service
Meanwhile, Norway’s Queen Mette-Marit faces an awkward reunion with Luxembourg’s Grand Duchess Stephanie at the funeral after calling her wedding to Grand Duke Guillaume ‘deadly boring’ in an email to Jeffrey Epstein.
In an email dated October 21, 2012, Mette-Marit, 53, who has faced intense scrutiny for her friendship with the paedophile financier, wrote: ‘Boring wedding. Was like some kind of old movie. Where you know the characters are not hanging around for much long[er].’
The email was sent from a redacted address under the name ‘HKH Kronprinsessen’ after Mette-Marit and Haakon joined Harald, Queen Sonja and several European royals for the Grand Duke and Duchess’s two-day nuptials on 19 and 20 October, 2012.
Haakon’s wife was forced to apologise earlier this year when it was revealed that she exchanged dozens of emails with ‘sweetheart’ Epstein despite his conviction for soliciting sex from girls as young as 14.
After the extent of her friendship with Epstein was revealed following the release of the Epstein Files, Mette-Marit, who was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018, issued a grovelling apology as she said the emails do ‘not represent the person I want to be’.
Harald stood by his daughter-in-law at the time as he reiterated ‘we must remember that the Crown Princess has not done anything illegal’ and that she deserved ‘credit’ for ending their friendship ‘very early’.
Fresh scandal also came in June when Mette-Marit’s son from a previous relationship, Marius, was convicted on two counts of rape and jailed for four years following a six-week trial that laid bare allegations of violence, drug abuse and sexual misconduct.
An Oslo court also found him guilty of assaulting his former girlfriend, Nora Haukland, issuing threats and committing traffic offences, although he was acquitted of two other rape charges.
The 29-year-old had been charged with sexually assaulting four women who were asleep or otherwise unable to resist between 2018 and 2024.
The conviction marked a fall for Høiby, who grew up in the public eye after his mother married then-Crown Prince Haakon in 2001 when he was just four years old.
Although he does not hold a royal title or carry out official duties, he has long been closely associated with the Norwegian Royal Family.
Norway’s Prince Sverre Magnus, King Haakon VIII, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, and Princess Martha Louise walk behind the coffin of King Harald V
King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain and King Frederik and Queen Mary of Denmark
The casket of late King Harald V of Norway leaves the Royal Palace in a procession
The coffin of Norway’s King Harald V is taken from the Palace to Oslo Cathedral
Norway’s King Haakon and members of the Royal Guard stand next to the coffin of Norway’s King Harald during his funeral in Oslo
Bishop Sunniva Gylver speaks during the funeral ceremony of Norway’s King Harald
Speaker of the Storting Masud Gharahkhani takes to the podium during the funeral service
People gather on a street ahead of the funeral of Norway’s King Harald at Oslo Cathedral
The casket of late King Harald V of Norway leaves the Royal Palace in a royal procession
Judge Jon Sverdrup Efjestad handed down the sentence after hearing evidence linked to 40 charges, including four alleged rapes, assaults, breaches of restraining orders, drug offences and driving violations. One charge relating to a restraining-order violation was overturned.
The court heard how Høiby’s drug addiction spiralled in recent years, while investigators presented more than 800 messages and a series of self-made videos of sexual encounters as evidence during the trial.
One alleged rape took place in the basement of the family home, the court was told.
Høiby, who denied the most serious allegations while admitting to some lesser offences, was not physically present in court for the verdict and instead joined proceedings via video link.
The death of King Harald comes after he was being treated at Oslo University Hospital for haemolytic anaemia, a disorder which causes red blood cells to be destroyed at an abnormally fast rate.
It came just two years after the Norwegian suffered a similar problem while on holiday in Malaysia. That ordeal resulted in him having a pacemaker fitted.
The monarch had, however, insisted that he would never abdicate from his position due to poor health, arguing that he took a lifelong oath before ascending to the throne in 1991.
‘I stick by what I’ve always said, that I swore an oath to the Storting (Norwegian Parliament) and it is for life,’ he said previously.
However, the palace said his health had ‘deteriorated’ after he contracted an infection, with members of the Norwegian Royal Family rushing to his bedside the Thursday before his passing.
‘It is with deep grief that we announce that His Majesty King Harald has passed away,’ Norway’s Royal Court said in a statement.
‘King Harald died peacefully at Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet Friday, August 28 at 6.35am.’
