Details finalized for King Harald’s funeral

King Harald’s coffin will be carried on foot in a long procession from the palace to Oslo Cathedral on Wednesday, with foreign royals and heads of state joining the royal family. The procession begins at noon.

Queens Mette-Marit and Sonja will travel by car because of their health and age. The funeral service starts at 1 p.m. at Oslo Cathedral and will be led by Olav Fykse Tveit, the senior representative of the Church of Norway. Norwegian and Swedish television will broadcast the ceremony live.

The country will observe a minute of silence at the beginning of the service. Church bells will ring three times to mark its start and finish. Storting President Masud Gharahkhani and Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre will deliver memorial speeches.

After the service, the coffin will be taken in procession to the chapel at Akershus Castle for a private ceremony attended by family members, royal guests and other dignitaries. It will then be lowered into the chapel crypt, where the sarcophagi of King Haakon and Queen Maud, and King Olav and Crown Princess Märtha, are located.

Following the ceremony, King Haakon and Queen Mette-Marit will appear in the courtyard of Akershus Fortress. Flags flying at half-mast will be raised, a double royal salute will be fired and church bells will ring for an hour. The royal family will then return to the palace along the procession route and appear on the balcony before a reception for family, visiting heads of state, royals and representatives of official Norway.