Norway Prepares for State Funeral of King Harald V

King Harald V of Norway died on Friday at the age of 89. His state funeral is scheduled for Wednesday, September 9, at 13:00 in the Oslo Cathedral. The ceremony will be officiated by Olav Fykse Tveit, the presiding bishop of the Church of Norway. Following the service, the King will be buried in the mausoleum at Akershus Fortress, where he will rest in a sarcophagus alongside his parents and grandparents. The funeral proceedings will include a private ceremony at the Royal Palace chapel and a procession to the cathedral, accompanied by a 21 gun salute from Akershus Fortress.

Public mourning has already begun. Hundreds of citizens gathered on Sunday for a memorial mass at the Asker church, where the new King Haakon VIII, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Queen Sonja, and Prince Sverre Magnus were in attendance. The Royal Palace will open its chapel for public viewing starting Tuesday at 14:00, allowing citizens to pay their respects to the bier until the day of the funeral. King Frederik and Queen Mary of Denmark are expected to attend the funeral, having postponed a state visit to Belgium to do so.

Queen Mette Marit was absent from the first memorial mass due to her ongoing recovery from a lung transplant performed in June. While her health limits her participation in some official activities, she is expected to be present for select events related to the funeral. In a separate development, King Haakon VIII is scheduled to take his oath before the parliament on Tuesday.

Center right sources provide detailed accounts of the royal family's internal structure and the specific logistics of the burial. One report emphasizes the streamlined nature of the new royal household, noting that Queen Sonja will remain an operational part of the family while others, such as Princess Martha Louise, maintain lives outside the court.