Norway’s church bells will ring for an hour after King Harald’s funeral

King Harald’s coffin will leave the Royal Palace at noon on Wednesday, September 9, and travel in a funeral procession to Oslo Cathedral. The ceremony there will begin at 1 p.m., after a minute of silence across Norway.

After the funeral, the coffin will be taken to the chapel at Akershus Castle for a private ceremony attended by family members and royal guests. It will then be lowered into the crypt, where King Harald’s parents, King Olav V and Crown Princess Märtha, and his grandparents, King Haakon VII and Queen Maud, are buried in the royal mausoleum.

Norway’s new monarch, King Haakon, and his wife, Queen Mette-Marit, will emerge into the courtyard after the ceremony. Flags flying at half-mast will be raised to full height, while a double royal salute is fired and church bells ring across the country for an hour.

Later in the day, the new royal couple will appear on the balcony of the Royal Palace with the new heir, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Harald’s widow, Queen Sonja, and their son, Prince Sverre Magnus.