All members of Norway’s parliament invited to King Harald’s funeral

All 169 members of Norway’s parliament will be invited to King Harald V’s funeral, the Foreign Ministry confirmed to VG after an earlier report by Nettavisen.

Foreign Ministry press spokeswoman Johanne Severinsen said invitations would be sent in batches. “After a new count, it was decided that all members of parliament would receive an invitation,” she wrote in an email to VG.

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After a new count, it was decided that all members of parliament would receive an invitation

The Storting was initially allocated fewer places because Oslo Cathedral has limited capacity and the funeral is expected to draw many guests from Norway and abroad. The wider event will also attract substantial media attention, with 650 journalists from 19 countries applying for accreditation. Most foreign journalists are coming from Sweden, Germany, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

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It will be gray, with light winds, intermittent precipitation and fairly low temperatures, between 10 and 15 degrees

The funeral procession through central Oslo is expected to take place in cold, wet and gray autumn weather. Meteorologist Rafael Escobar Løvdahl told Aftenposten that temperatures would range from 10 to 15 degrees Celsius, with light winds and intermittent precipitation. Heavy rain is not expected, but rain could continue from the beginning to the end of the day. He advised people attending outdoors to dress warmly and bring rainwear.

A total of 6,500 police officers and soldiers will assist with the mourning procession, while large crowds are expected in central Oslo. People who want to pass by the late king’s coffin in the Palace Chapel faced an estimated queue of six hours and 45 minutes on Saturday morning. Among those waiting were 13-year-old Nea and 7-year-old Julie, who had already stood in line for an hour and a half with their mother and grandmother.

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This weather should not cause any problems in itself, but most people should dress warmly and wear rainwear