Norway prepares to bid farewell to King Harald V. as funeral details take shape

Many Norwegians are lining up to say goodbye to King Harald V., whom they called the “grandfather of all Norway.” People can still pass slowly by his coffin in the palace chapel until the day before the funeral. Kilometer-long queues formed over the weekend.

The government declared a period of national mourning after the king’s death on August 28. Flags at government buildings and state-owned companies fly at half-mast, while memorial services have taken place in towns across the country. In Oslo, thousands have left flowers and letters at the palace square and lit candles for the popular monarch.

The funeral procession is scheduled to leave the Royal Palace at noon and proceed to Oslo Cathedral. A funeral service will begin there at 1 p.m., preceded by a minute of silence across the country. The procession will then continue to the nearby Akershus Castle Church, where Harald will be laid to rest in the royal mausoleum. The family will hold a private ceremony there, attended by members of European royal families and state representatives.

The government has invited about 450 guests to a memorial ceremony at Oslo City Hall after the burial. Britain’s heir to the throne, Prince William, announced over the weekend that he would attend. King Charles III will remain in Britain, in keeping with protocol for funerals of foreign monarchs.

All adult members of Sweden’s royal family are expected in Oslo, including King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia, and Princess Madeleine with her husband Christopher O’Neill. Princess Christina, the Swedish king’s youngest sister, will also attend with her husband. The royal couples of Denmark, Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium are expected, along with Japan’s crown prince and crown princess and Jordan’s King Abdullah II.

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Grandfather of all Norway.