King Harald V of Norway was buried on Wednesday during a series of ceremonies that marked the culmination of 13 days of national mourning following his death at the age of 89. Reuters reports, UNN writes.
Details
As the publication notes, Harald, a reformer who spent more than three decades on the throne, gradually emerged from the shadow of his popular and charismatic father. He died during a period of numerous crises for the Norwegian royal family.
The procession on foot from the Royal Palace to Oslo Cathedral began at 12:00 local time (local time). It was accompanied by cannon fire from Oslo’s Akershus Fortress.
According to police, tens of thousands of people lined the capital’s Karl Johans gate avenue. As the coffin passed by, the crowd fell completely silent.
The church ceremony began at 13:00 local time after the procession. It opened with a nationwide minute of silence.
Guests included Prince William and Princess Anne of the United Kingdom; Crown Prince Akishino of Japan and Crown Princess Kiko; King Felipe of Spain, Queen Letizia and Queen Sofía; the Swedish royal family; as well as King Frederik of Denmark and Queen Mary.
Heads of state from around the world were invited to the funeral.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Oslo late Tuesday evening. According to representatives of both sides, he met with the prime minister of Norway to discuss the war with Russia. He also took part in the procession. As Zelenskyy left the cathedral, the crowd applauded him and greeted him with cheers.
The United States was represented by Deputy Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker, the Norwegian government said.
Was the new queen present
Queen Mette-Marit, 53, the common-law wife of Norway’s new king, Haakon VIII, attended the funeral but arrived by car together with Harald’s widow, Queen Sonja, 89.
Mette-Marit is recovering from a lung transplant she underwent in June. Last week, she was forced to cancel her participation in the ceremony in which her husband took the oath in parliament because of complications following the operation.
Her son Marius Borg Høiby, born from a relationship before her marriage to Haakon, attended the funeral despite being under house arrest and wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet following his conviction for rape and domestic violence. He is appealing the verdict.
Høiby was among those who carried the coffin during Harald’s transfer to the royal chapel on August 31, prompting criticism in some circles in Norway and abroad.
After Wednesday’s ceremony, four F-35 fighter jets flew over the cathedral, with one breaking away from the formation to symbolically mark the king’s death.
A smaller procession, accompanied by the sounds of Frédéric Chopin’s Funeral March, escorted the coffin to the royal crypt at Akershus Fortress, which overlooks Oslo’s harbor. There, Harald’s coffin will be placed in a sarcophagus beside those of his parents.
When Haakon emerges from the crypt, the period of national mourning will officially end, and the flags that have flown at half-mast since Harald’s death will be raised. Church bells throughout Norway will ring for an hour.
Popular king
Norwegian police said that providing security at the funeral had become the largest planned operation in the agency’s history. Large crowds gathered in central Oslo. Schoolchildren were allowed to miss classes so they could attend the funeral.
Hundreds of thousands of Norwegians have already paid tribute to Harald by leaving flowers, candles and flags outside the Royal Palace or passing by his coffin in the royal chapel.
Many people who came to say farewell highlighted Harald’s openness, while Haakon called him a wonderful father in his first address to the nation as monarch.
Despite recent problems, the monarchy remains generally popular: 72% of Norwegians support it, while 20% favor a republic or another form of government. This is according to the results of a Norstat poll for the NRK television channel, released on September 1. It was the first poll conducted after Harald's death.