Oslo bans umbrellas at King Harald’s funeral

Norwegians may have to watch King Harald’s funeral in the rain without umbrellas. Oslo police have banned the devices for Wednesday, September 9, when tens of thousands are expected to gather in the city centre and at the Palace Chapel to bid farewell to the late monarch.

The ban reflects the crowding and inconvenience police expect umbrellas would create. The timing is awkward: Norway’s weather service forecasts continuous rain in Oslo from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the day of the funeral.

The public will be allowed into a specially secured area in central Oslo while the service takes place in Oslo Cathedral. Large screens will broadcast the ceremony, allowing crowds to follow the final farewell. King Haakon VIII took his royal oath in parliament on September 1, while his daughter Ingrid Alexandra, now crown princess, signed her oath as well. The article says she is expected to become Norway’s first female head of state after her father, following the constitutional change that ended inheritance of the position solely through the male line.

The cathedral has also hosted the funerals of King Olav in 1991 and King Haakon in 1957. After the public ceremony, a private service will take place at Akershus Castle, where Harald will be placed in a mausoleum attended by his closest family.

The design of Harald’s coffin, created by the Snøhetta architecture firm, has been kept secret. It was lifted into the castle by crane during the week on several pallets wrapped tightly in fabric, concealing the design until the final day. Harald is expected to rest beside his grandfather King Haakon and Queen Maud, as well as his father Olav and Queen Märtha.