As in all families, the royal ones also reunite at funerals. This Wednesday, in Oslo, kings and princes of Europe, the so-called royal cousins, gathered to bid farewell to Harald V, King of Norway, who passed away on August 28. Oslo Cathedral was too small to accommodate the representatives of all the royal houses, related to the deceased to a greater or lesser degree, who accompanied Kings Haakon and Mette-Marit, Queen Sonia, and the rest of the family.
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The Swedish royal house, linked to Norway by family and neighborhood ties, is fully represented: Kings Carl Gustaf and Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, her husband Prince Daniel, Prince Carl Philip, his wife Princess Sofia, Princess Magdalena and her husband Christopher O’Neill. King Frederik X and Queen Mary of Denmark, representatives of a royal house from which the first monarch of modern Norway, Haakon VII, emerged 120 years ago, are represented by Kings Frederik and Mary, with Queen Margrethe absent due to her recent hospitalization. From the Netherlands, Kings Willem and Máxima, Crown Princess Amalia, and Princess Beatrix have traveled to Oslo, and from Belgium, Kings Philippe and Mathilde.
Kings Felipe and Letizia and Queen Sofia complete the group of European kings, along with the Grand Dukes of Luxembourg, Guillaume and Stéphanie, Princess Alexia of Greece with her husband Carlos Morales, her brother Nicholas of Greece, and her mother Queen Anne-Marie; Prince Albert of Monaco and Princes Alois and Sophie of Liechtenstein and Máxima of the Netherlands; Prince Albert II of Monaco. Representing the British royal house are William, Prince of Wales, and his aunt, Princess Anne. Also attending are Kings Abdullah and Rania of Jordan.
Most representatives of the European royal houses are united by their descent from Queen Victoria of England and/or King Frederik VIII of Denmark. Norway’s family ties with Sweden are closer; moreover, King Harald’s mother, Marta, born Princess of Sweden, was the sister of Queen Astrid of Belgium, grandmother of King Felipe and great-grandmother of Guillaume, the current Grand Duke of Luxembourg.
Japan is represented by Crown Prince Akishino (brother of Emperor Naruhito) and Princess Kiko; some Arab monarchies have also sent representatives to the funeral. Finland, a neighbor of Norway, and other European countries have also sent representatives at the highest level.
The last time such a high-level royal summit took place was at the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, held on September 19, 2022, at Westminster Abbey (London, England). The death of the English monarch made Harald the oldest king among his peers and Carl Gustaf of Sweden the longest-reigning. Now the Swedish king holds both distinctions; at 80 years old, he has been on the throne since 1973, also being the last representative of the generation of kings who reigned in the 20th century. The rest of the current European monarchs began their reigns in the 21st century, a new generation that includes Felipe V, Willem of the Netherlands, Frederik of Denmark, and Charles of England.
Many of those present this Wednesday in Oslo gathered on January 16, 2023, at the Orthodox Cathedral in Athens (Greece) to attend the private funeral for Constantine of Greece.
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The day Norway bids farewell to Harald began in the chapel of the royal palace, where a requiem was held, attended by family members. At noon, the funeral procession left the royal palace, while 21-gun salutes were fired from Akershus Fortress, where King Harald will be buried, and from other military facilities.
Harald’s coffin, covered with the royal standard on which the crown and sword rest, makes its final journey in a military vehicle along Karl Johans Gate, Oslo’s main street, followed on foot by King Haakon, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Prince Sverre Magnus, Princess Märta Louise, and the other attending kings and heads of state. Both Queen Mette-Marit and Queen Sonia travel in one of the king’s official cars. Along the route, where giant screens have been installed to watch the ceremony, thousands of Norwegians follow the funeral procession.
When the procession reaches the cathedral, all of Norway, after a toll of mourning in all churches, will observe a minute of silence in memory of King Harald, and at 1 p.m. the state funeral will begin, a religious ceremony presided over by the primate of the Norwegian Lutheran Church Olav Fykse Tveit alongside the Bishop of Oslo, Sunniva Gylver.
An hour later, once the ceremony concludes, the mortal remains of King Harald will be transferred to Akershus Fortress, where the coffin will be placed in a sarcophagus in one of the crypts of the royal mausoleum, where Haakon V and his wife Queen Maud, and Olav V with his wife Princess Marta, who died two years before Harald’s father was proclaimed king, already rest.
In the same crypt, the Norwegian royal family and some members of the present royal houses will participate in a final religious ceremony. With King Harald now in his final resting place, all flags that have been at half-mast since his death will be raised again accompanied by a double royal salute of 42 cannon shots.
Returning to the royal palace, Haakon VIII and his family will appear on the balcony to greet the citizens, and in the evening, a reception will be held for members of the royal houses and official delegations who attended the funeral. The official mourning for King Harald will remain in effect for one month.
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