The funeral of King Harald V of Norway, a popular and modernizing monarch who reigned for 35 years, will be held in Oslo next Wednesday, Buckingham Palace has announced. The Prince of Wales will attend the ceremony, representing his father, King Charles III.
Princess Anne will also attend in a personal capacity, as she is godmother to Norway's new monarch, King Haakon VIII. The late King Harald died last month at the age of 89, prompting an outpouring of national mourning.
Royal sources indicate that Prince William's attendance follows the convention that the monarch does not usually attend the funeral of another head of state. King Charles is instead returning to Scotland after meeting French President Emmanuel Macron at the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition in London this week.
Large crowds are expected for the farewell on 9 September, with a funeral procession followed by a service at Oslo Cathedral. Thousands have queued to pay their respects during the lying-in-state at the Royal Palace Chapel in the Norwegian capital.
At the funeral, alongside Prince William, will be the widowed Queen Sonja, members of the Norwegian royal family including new King Haakon VIII, and other European royals. The service will be followed by a private burial in Norway's royal mausoleum in the Akershus Fortress.
Tributes have poured in, including an emotional televised speech by King Haakon, who said: "Thank you for being such a good dad." Harald was seen as a down-to-earth "people's king" who modernized the monarchy, broke with tradition by marrying a commoner, and served as a unifying figure.
His son said he represented the values of a "society built on law and justice, where everyone is of equal value." King Charles's message praised his cousin for serving his people with "unwavering dedication, guiding Norway through times of great change with warmth and humility."
However, King Haakon assumes his role at a difficult time, as the Norwegian royal family faces scandals this year. His wife, Queen Mette-Marit, came under scrutiny when it was revealed she had maintained a three-year friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, for which she publicly apologized.
Her son from a previous relationship, Marius Borg Høiby, was convicted in June of rape and other offenses and sentenced to four years in prison. He is appealing. These controversies cast a shadow over the new reign.
While Prince William is in Norway, King Charles will host Prime Minister Andy Burnham at Balmoral this weekend, in the traditional annual visit of the prime minister to stay with the monarch. The late King Harald's legacy as a unifying figure will be remembered, but the challenges facing the new king are significant.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk