Harald V’s Funeral: Heartbreaking Moments That Moved Norway

Norway said a final farewell to King Harald V yesterday, in a memorial marked by moments of striking emotion from royals more often known for their composure.

Harald, who became Europe’s oldest reigning monarch after Queen Elizabeth II, led Norway for more than 35 years before his death on August 28 at the age of 89.

The late king’s state funeral took place on Wednesday at Oslo Cathedral, where royal families from across the globe arrived in the Norwegian capital to honour the monarch widely regarded as the “grandfather of the nation.”

Senior representatives from 11 royal houses, including Spain, Denmark, Japan and Jordan, were among the high-profile mourners at the historic ceremony, which featured a solemn procession from the Royal Palace to the chapel, ceremonial gun salutes and heartfelt tributes.

Yet beyond the grandeur of the occasion, the funeral will likely be remembered for its quieter, more human moments: gentle acts of affection, visible grief from usually restrained kings and queens, and a powerful show of support for Norway’s new King Haakon VIII and the grieving Queen Sonja.

Denmark’s King Frederik appeared tearful during the moving service for the man he affectionately knew as “Uncle Harald,” while the Princess Royal also drew warm praise after observers spotted her tender exchange with Harald’s 89-year-old widow, Sonja.

There was not a dry eye in Oslo Cathedral – from King Frederik X of Denmark to Norway’s new Queen Mette-Marit and her heartbroken mother-in-law, Sonja, who was married to Harald for almost 58 years. 

The Danish royal house was among the first to send their condolences after Harald passed away peacefully at Rikshospitalet on August 28. 

In an open letter to Haakon VIII, King Frederik and Queen Mary remembered his ‘unwavering calm’ and ‘dry humour’ while reflecting on the close bonds between their families. 

‘Your father meant a great deal to my mother (Queen Margrethe) and both of us,’ the royal couple wrote. ‘He was an extraordinary man, with a twinkle in his eye and a big heart.

‘For 35 years, King Harald was a strong unifying figure for the Norwegian people. He joined duty and responsibility with presence and compassion. He was cherished like few others, and he will be missed by many.’ 

During Harald’s funeral, ‘you could see the pain’ in Frederik’s eyes as he mourned the late monarch, fans wrote on X. 

At one point, the 53-year-old sovereign reached for Mary’s hand as they bowed their heads when Harald’s coffin was brought into the Cathedral.

Queen Sonja was visibly moved when Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre paid tribute to the ‘love’ they shared in his speech. 

‘Queen Sonja, working by his side, played an inextricable part in King Harald’s service to the nation – her tireless efforts to promote culture, to celebrate nature – and her desire to experience far-flung places it is hard to imagine anyone could live,’ he continued.  

Norwegians watching the funeral reportedly began to ‘openly weep’ when the cameras cut to Queen Sonja crying softly during the prime minister’s address. 

‘I am in Norway right now, and this was the moment when the Norwegians in the room I was watching the funeral started to openly weep. They loved King Harald, but they mourn and feel with (and love) Queen Sonja,’ one X user reported. 

Norway’s Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra was poised and graceful as she joined her family in bidding farewell to her grandfather yesterday. 

In one video posted on X, the heir to the Norwegian throne could be seen comforting her younger brother, Prince Sverre Magnus, when he became overwhelmed by emotion. 

The daughter of Haakon and Mette-Marit placed a reassuring hand on Sverre Magnus’s shoulder when she noticed tears in his eyes before he returned her loving gesture with a small smile. 

Fans praised ‘the sweet princess’, with one person writing: ‘The Norwegian people have won my respect due to this kindness.’

It wasn’t just Ingrid Alexandra’s compassion that impressed royal watchers when footage of Princess Anne greeting the Norwegian family after the funeral was shared online. 

While the Prince of Wales officially represented King Charles III at Harald’s funeral, Princess Anne attended the event in a personal capacity as King Haakon VIII’s godmother.

While Denmark’s Queen Mary tightly held her aunt Sonja’s hand, the King’s sister made time to express her support for Haakon, who ascended the throne after his father’s death. 

Following the birth of Haakon on July 20, 1973, Princess Anne was named as one of his godparents, along with his late grandfather, Olav V, Harald’s sister, Princess Astrid, Mrs Ferner, Sweden’s Carl XVI Gustaf, Denmark’s Queen Margrethe and Prince Carl Bernadotte. 

Reuniting with her godson, Anne warmly hugged Haakon VIII after Harald V was laid to rest at Akershus Fortress, as their conversation brought a smile to the new King’s face despite the sombre occasion. 

When Anne noticed Queen Sonja standing by herself, she politely excused herself as William stepped forward to warmly greet Haakon in their first meeting since he became King of Norway. 

After executing a perfect curtsy before Sonja, the typically reserved Anne held both of her hands as she appeared to console Haakon’s grieving mother with kind words and reassuring smiles. 

Princess Ingrid Alexandra could repeatedly be seen thanking Prince William, who attended the funeral without the Princess of Wales, and Princess Anne during a brief exchange before they departed the Royal Palace. 

The funeral also highlighted the strong bond between Norway and the Netherlands’ future queens – Crown Princess Catharina-Amalia and Ingrid Alexandra – when the ‘royal besties’ reunited yesterday

Catharina-Amalia, the 22-year-old heir to the Dutch throne, gave her friend a hug as she joined her parents – the Netherlands’ King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima – for the funeral. 

It was previously reported that Catharina-Amalia, Ingrid Alexandra and Belgium’s Princess Elisabeth have a WhatsApp group chat. 

In June last year, the Princess of Orange also told journalist Wim Dehandschutter via Australia Women’s Weekly: ‘We stay in contact with each other because we are all living a very specific life and we don’t need much explanation to understand each other.’

She added: ‘It’s a good thing that I can chat with Elisabeth and Ingrid Alexandra about very simple things in our life which are difficult, different for us, friendships, privacy, social media. We discuss how we handle it.’

The late King Harald V was mourned on Wednesday by his 89-year-old widow, Queen Sonja, and son King Haakon with his wife, Queen Mette-Marit. He died due to a rare blood condition known as haemolytic anaemia.

They were joined by other royals from around the world, including King Felipe of Spain, Queen Rania of Jordan and Princess Charlene of Monaco.

The coffin was taken from the palace to the cathedral in a procession of senior Norwegian royals including King Haakon, foreign guests and representatives from Norway’s and other parliaments.

King Haakon walked behind the coffin, draped with the red Norwegian royal standard, alongside his eldest child Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, now heir to the throne, his son Prince Sverre Magnus and his sister Princess Martha Louise.

The King’s stepson Marius Borg Hoiby, who is currently serving a four-year prison sentence under house arrest at his parents’ Skaugum Estate while he appeals his conviction for two counts of rape, was also in attendance.

He previously joined his relatives to carry the coffin of late King Harald from the Royal Palace to the palace chapel last week while temporarily released, sparking fierce backlash from royal fans.

The Bishop of Oslo, Sunniva Gylver, looked somewhat stern as she greeted Hoiby on the steps of the cathedral ahead of the service.

His mother Queen Mette-Marit and Harald’s widow Queen Sonja followed the coffin in a car.