King Harald V’s funeral was held in Oslo on Wednesday, 9 September, as Norway marked the end of a 35-year reign with a national ceremony attended by tens of thousands of people, European leaders and royal families from across the world. Harald, who died on 28 August aged 89, was taken from the Royal Palace to Oslo Cathedral before being laid to rest at Akershus Fortress.
Tens of thousands followed King Harald V’s funeral procession
The first procession began at the Royal Palace at noon. King Haakon VIII, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Princess Märtha Louise and Prince Sverre Magnus walked behind Harald’s coffin, while Queen Sonja and Queen Mette-Marit followed by car.
The coffin was carried on a gun carriage along Karl Johans gate and Kirkegata towards Oslo Cathedral. The procession moved to Ole Olsen’s Sørgemarsj, performed by the Staff Band of the Norwegian Armed Forces.
According to NRK, police estimated that around 53,000 people stood directly along the procession route at noon. Around 181,000 people were in central Oslo, with 224,000 counted within a wider surrounding area.
The military presence was also extensive. Around 1,900 soldiers formed an honour guard along the route, while approximately 3,500 personnel from the Norwegian Armed Forces were ceremonially represented during the day. Separately, Norwegian police said that just under 3,000 police officers from across the country had been deployed to Oslo for an operation described as one of the largest in its history.
A minute of silence across Norway
The funeral service began at 13:00 at Oslo Cathedral with one minute of silence observed across Norway. Church bells marked the beginning and end of the silence.
The ceremony was led by Presiding Bishop (Preses) Olav Fykse Tveit, together with Bishop of Oslo Sunniva Gylver, following the Church of Norway’s funeral liturgy.
President of the Storting Masud Gharahkhani remembered Harald as a monarch who remained close to ordinary people and said that he had lived according to his royal motto, Alt for Norge, or “All for Norway”.
“He gave everything for Norway,” Gharahkhani said.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre also spoke during the service, saying Norwegians were “deeply grateful” for Harald’s 35 years on the throne and emphasising the way he had combined the formality of the monarchy with a more personal public presence.
Music played a prominent role in the ceremony. The Oslo Cathedral Choir performed several hymns, while Norwegian musician Åge Aleksandersen, together with Tuva Syvertsen, performed Jørgen Hattemaker, written by Alf Prøysen.
Nordic monarchs and European leaders gathered in Oslo
The funeral of King Harald V brought together the other Nordic royal families as well as a large group of European heads of state.
Sweden was represented by King Carl XVI Gustaf and several members of the Swedish Royal Family, including Crown Princess Victoria. Harald was Victoria’s godfather, and during the service she read the Prayer of Saint Francis.
Denmark was represented by King Frederik X, Queen Mary and Crown Prince Christian. Finland’s President Alexander Stubb and Iceland’s President Halla Tómasdóttir also attended.
After the cathedral ceremony, King Haakon walked immediately behind his father’s coffin towards Akershus together with King Carl XVI Gustaf and King Frederik X, giving the final procession a particularly Scandinavian character.
Other European royal guests included King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, King Felipe VI of Spain, King Philippe of Belgium and Prince William of Wales.
Among the political leaders in Oslo were Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda. Zelenskyy’s attendance had not been announced before his arrival in Norway on Tuesday evening. NRK reported that people outside the cathedral spontaneously applauded him as he left the service.
Harald was laid to rest at Akershus Fortress
After the funeral service, four Norwegian F-35 fighter jets flew over central Oslo in a military tribute. One aircraft then separated from the formation and climbed away in the traditional missing-man manoeuvre.
Harald’s coffin continued towards the Palace Church at Akershus Fortress, where the Royal Family and selected guests attended a private ceremony away from the public and the press.
The late king was laid to rest in the crypt of the Palace Church, where other members of the Norwegian Royal Family are buried, including King Haakon VII, Queen Maud, King Olav V and Crown Princess Märtha.
The funeral concluded the national mourning period that followed Harald’s death on 28 August. His son Haakon VIII, who became king immediately upon his father’s death, now begins the first full phase of his reign with Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra as heir to the throne.
For Norway, the ceremonies in Oslo marked both the final farewell to a monarch who had reigned since 17 January 1991 and the visible transition to a new generation of the Norwegian monarchy.
