The Norwegian royal family has been grieving for the late monarch following his death on 28 August
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Now, Oslo is preparing for one of the most significant royal occasions in recent royal history, as an extraordinary gathering of kings, queens, princes, princesses and political leaders arrives to pay tribute to the late monarch. The ceremony is expected to bring together the great and the good of the international royal world, many of whom shared decades-long friendships and family ties with King Harald.
The occasion will also mark a deeply personal moment for the Norwegian royal family. King Haakon VIII, who succeeded his father following his death, will lead the family in mourning alongside Queen Mette-Marit and their daughter, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, now first in line to the throne.
European royal families have long been closely intertwined, and King Harald counted many of the continent’s monarchs among both his relatives and friends. His funeral will therefore be not only a major state occasion, but an unusually intimate gathering of a royal generation that has known one another for much of their lives.
King Harald and Queen Sonja at Edinburgh Castle on a state visit to Great Britain in 1994
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