Prince William to represent King Charles at funeral in Oslo

Prince William, Britain’s heir to the throne, will travel to Oslo on Wednesday to represent King Charles at the funeral of Norway’s King Harald V. He will be accompanied by Princess Anne, Charles’s sister and the godmother of Norway’s new monarch, King Haakon VIII.

Charles’s absence may initially seem surprising, but the British monarchy has repeatedly followed this practice. William represented his father at the funeral of Pope Francis in April 2025. Charles himself attended the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005, when he was still Prince of Wales and representing his mother.

There is no strict historical rule requiring the monarch to stay away. Queen Elizabeth II attended the funeral of Belgium’s King Baudouin in 1993. The choice instead reflects a protocol tradition in which another senior member of the royal family represents the sovereign.

Charles is receiving treatment for cancer. On the day Harald died, he published a personal message of condolence, writing that his family mourned “a much-loved relative and friend” whose kindness, compassion and deep sense of duty had resonated across the sea and through the decades.

Harald died in late August at the age of 89. His 53-year-old son automatically succeeded him as King Haakon VIII.

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A much-loved relative and friend whose kindness, compassion and deep sense of duty resonated across the sea and through the decades.