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Norway mourns King Harald V: Thousands gather before Oslo palace
🇵🇱 Poland /Culture & Society

Norway mourns King Harald V: Thousands gather before Oslo palace

From Rzeczpospolita · () Polish

Translated from Polish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • Thousands of Norwegians gathered at the Royal Palace in Oslo to mourn the death of King Harald V, who passed away at Rikshospitalet at age 89.
  • The late king is remembered for his openness, ability to unite society, and inclusive stance towards minorities, including Poles.
  • His memorable 2016 speech emphasizing that Norwegians come from diverse backgrounds and include people of all faiths and orientations is being widely shared.

Oslo is the scene of profound national mourning as thousands of Norwegians gather before the Royal Palace to bid farewell to their beloved King Harald V. The 89-year-old monarch passed away at Rikshospitalet, leaving a nation to reflect on his legacy.

From early Saturday morning, citizens, including entire families, young and old, converged at the palace, laying flowers and lighting candles. They remember King Harald V as a warm, open, and accessible monarch. The procession carrying his coffin from the hospital to the palace the previous evening was witnessed by tens of thousands, underscoring the deep public affection for him.

Norwegians are inhabitants of the north, Trøndelag, the south – and all other regions. Norwegians also arrived from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Poland, Sweden, Somalia and Syria. My grandparents arrived from Denmark and England 110 years ago. Norwegians come from all over the world, believe in God, Allah, the universe or nothing, and also love people of the same sex. Norway is you. Norway is us.

— King Harald VIn a memorable 2016 speech addressing his country's diversity and inclusivity.

Many Norwegians are recalling King Harald's remarkable ability to unite society and his inclusive approach. His 2016 speech, where he articulated a broad definition of Norwegian identity encompassing people from various backgrounds, faiths, and orientations, has been widely shared on social media. In that address, he famously stated, "Norwegians are inhabitants of the north, Trøndelag, the south – and all other regions. Norwegians also arrived from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Poland, Sweden, Somalia and Syria. My grandparents arrived from Denmark and England 110 years ago. Norwegians come from all over the world, believe in God, Allah, the universe or nothing, and also love people of the same sex. Norway is you. Norway is us."

very sad

— Donald TrumpCommenting on the death of King Harald V.

President Donald Trump of the United States offered his respects, calling King Harald V a "very sad" loss and describing him as a "strong, proud, and very respected man."

As the nation mourns, the new King Haakon VIII is set to formally begin his reign by receiving official condolences from key state figures, including the President of the Storting, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and the Presiding Bishop of the Church of Norway.

strong, proud, and very respected man

— Donald TrumpDescribing King Harald V after his passing.
About this summary

Originally published by Rzeczpospolita in Polish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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