Palace Reveals More Details of King Harald’s Funeral

Queen Mette-Marit and Queen Sonja will travel by car in the funeral procession for King Harald, according to new details released by the Royal Palace. Oslo city centre will close completely to vehicle traffic as the procession heads to Oslo Cathedral, and people entering the area will be searched.

The coffin will leave the palace at noon on Wednesday, Sept. 9. The cathedral ceremony will begin at 1 p.m. with a minute of silence across Norway, marked at the beginning and end by three chimes. Parliament’s president and the prime minister will deliver memorial speeches.

The service will be led by preses Olav Fykse Tveit and follow the Church of Norway’s funeral rites. Oslo Bishop Sunniva Gylver will also take part. Music will have a central role, although the palace has not yet said which artists will perform. Representatives of different faiths and life stances will also light candles.

After the cathedral service, the coffin will be taken to Akershus Castle Church for a private ceremony attended by the family and royal guests. The president of parliament, the prime minister, the chief justice of the Supreme Court, and the presidents of Iceland and Finland will also attend, the palace said. The coffin will then be lowered into the crypt, where the sarcophagi of King Haakon, Queen Maud, King Olav and Crown Princess Märtha are located.

The ceremony will be followed by a public appearance at Akershus Fortress. King Haakon and Queen Mette-Marit will greet people from the courtyard as flags return to full mast, a double royal salute is fired and church bells ring nationwide for an hour. The royal family will then return to the palace along the procession route.