King Harald’s funeral will take place on Wednesday, September 9, at 1 p.m. The ceremony will be led by Preses of the Church of Norway Olav Fykse Tveit.
“The funeral service will be led by Preses of the Church of Norway Olav Fykse Tveit. The Bishop of Oslo, Sunniva Gylver, cathedral cantor Marcus André Berg, the Oslo Cathedral Choir and others will also take part,” the Royal Court said in a press release.
The funeral of Harald’s father, King Olav V, was also held at Oslo Cathedral in January 1991. The ceremony will follow the standard funeral liturgy.
Processions Through the Streets of Oslo
On the day of the funeral, the ceremonies will begin as planned with a private farewell in the chapel of the Royal Palace, attended by members of the immediate family.
The main gate of the Royal Palace will then be opened, and a 21-gun funeral salute will be fired from Akershus Fortress.
The King’s coffin will then be carried in a ceremonial procession from the Royal Palace to Oslo Cathedral. Members of the royal family, representatives of the Norwegian authorities and numerous guests from Norway and abroad will take part.
Soldiers representing all branches of the Norwegian Armed Forces will line the entire route.
After the ceremony at the cathedral, another, much smaller procession will accompany the coffin on its way to the Castle Church at Akershus Fortress.
A private ceremony will be held there, primarily for the family, representatives of European royal families and a small group of representatives of the Norwegian authorities.
Final Resting Place
The King’s final resting place will be the crypt beneath the Castle Church at Akershus.
After the ceremony and the burial of King Harald, a double royal salute will be fired from Akershus Fortress. All flags across the country, which will have been flying at half-mast until that point, will be raised to the top of the flagpoles.
The Royal Yacht Norge will sound the whistle signal “pip over”, which under normal circumstances indicates that the King has left the ship. This time, it will sound symbolically — as a sign that the King has passed away.
In accordance with tradition, the King will be placed in a sarcophagus in the crypt at Akershus. King Haakon and Queen Maud already rest there in one sarcophagus, while King Olav and Crown Princess Märtha rest in a second.
The Royal Family Will Greet the Public
After the funeral, the procession carrying the royal family and other guests will return to the Royal Palace. It will follow the same route as the earlier procession. Soldiers from the Norwegian Armed Forces will continue to line the streets.
Once the entire royal procession has passed through the gates of the Royal Palace, the soldiers will begin marching back towards the square in front of Akershus Fortress.
The new King and his family will then appear on the balcony of the Royal Palace to greet the people gathered outside. By then, the flag at the Royal Palace will be flying at the top of the flagpole. The exact time of the royal family’s appearance on the balcony will be announced later.
A reception will then be held for some representatives of the Norwegian authorities, foreign guests, members of the family and others attending the funeral ceremonies.
When news emerged that King Harald’s health was serious, Norwegian bishops interrupted their trip to Rome and hurried back to Norway. Together with the Royal Court and the government, which is responsible for the ceremonies, they will play a role in organising and conducting the funeral. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the Jølstad funeral home.
King Harald’s Final Days
King Harald died peacefully on Friday, August 28, at 6:35 a.m. He was 89.
He had been receiving treatment at Rikshospitalet since August 17. He was given corticosteroids in connection with a blood disorder — hemolytic anemia, which had led to fluid accumulation in his body.
A few days later, it was announced that the monarch’s condition had deteriorated and that he was receiving antibiotics for a bacterial infection in his bloodstream.
On Friday, August 28, the Royal Court announced that the King’s health had deteriorated further and that his condition was very serious. Almost the entire royal family spent many hours at Rikshospitalet that day.
After briefly returning home to Skaugum, Crown Prince Haakon returned to the hospital in the evening and is believed to have spent the night at his father’s side.
Norwegians Remember the King
At 6:35 a.m. on Friday, August 28, the Royal Court announced that King Harald had died.
Shortly before 8 p.m. that same day, his coffin was transported to the Royal Palace. Norway’s royal regalia, including the crown, also arrived in Oslo. They are normally kept at the Archbishop’s Palace next to Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim.
As early as Thursday, people began gathering in the square outside the Royal Palace, bringing flowers and lighting candles.
Throughout the weekend, the sea of flowers outside the Palace continued to grow.
(NTB)