Jordan’s King Abdullah to attend King Harald’s funeral

King Abdullah II of Jordan will attend King Harald V’s funeral on Wednesday, the Jordanian royal court told NTB.

The two monarchs met during Harald’s state visit to Jordan in 2020, shortly before the coronavirus pandemic began. It became Harald’s final state visit. Harald and Queen Sonja later had to quarantine because of the overseas trip when pandemic restrictions were introduced.

During the visit, Abdullah showed the Norwegian royal couple the site on the Jordan River where Jesus was baptized. Harald himself was baptized with holy water from the river, in keeping with Norwegian royal tradition. During the visit, both Harald and Sonja were blessed with water from the river by touching it to their fingers and then moistening their foreheads.

Abdullah, 64, has been king of Jordan since 1999. In Oslo, preparations for Harald’s funeral have been under way at several locations. A canopy and steps were being built at Oslo Cathedral, where the funeral ceremony will take place, while a large platform was being erected in the square in front of the church.

Visitors wishing to file past Harald’s coffin in the Palace Chapel faced an estimated five-hour wait around 11 a.m. on Sunday. The palace said it expected the line to become considerably shorter later in the afternoon and encouraged visitors to spread their visits across the day and evening.

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Rituals are things that must be done in the right way, at the right time and in the right place. Therefore, it is very important that what must be done after the king’s death is carried out correctly.