While it is unlikely that King Charles will attend the international event due to his cancer treatment, the monarch paid a touching tribute to his ‘cousin Harald’ in a social media statement.
In a message on the royal family’s official social media accounts, His Majesty described the late King, who was a second cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, as ‘a dearly beloved relative and friend’, acknowledging the ‘special bonds’ between the two royal houses.
‘It is with the deepest sorrow that my wife and I have received the news of the death of my dear cousin, King Harald V of Norway,’ the statement read.
‘For thirty-five years, King Harald served his people with unwavering dedication and led Norway through times of great change with warmth and humility. As Norway mourns the loss of such a towering figure, my entire family joins in the memory of a dearly beloved relative and friend, whose kindness, compassion, and profound sense of duty resonated across the seas and through the decades.’
King Charles then expanded upon the close links between King Harald and the House of Windsor, which were fortified throughout the reigns of the late King and his second cousin, Queen Elizabeth II.
King Harald enjoyed close ties to the British royal family and was particularly close to his cousin, Queen Elizabeth II
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