Funeral services for Norway’s Princess Astrid, older sister of the late King Harald V, have been set for September 23 at a local if large church near her family’s longtime home in Oslo. Since she was not in line for the throne, her funeral will be mostly a private yet royal family affair.
Princess Astrid died just two days after King Harald V’s lavish state funeral in the Oslo Cathedral. She was 94, but had remained active and continued to serve in various royal roles, and she sat with the royal family at her brother’s funeral.
Their eldest sister, Princess Ragnhild, had moved to Brazil with her shipowner husband in the early 1950s, but her funeral was held at the Royal Palace’s own chapel in Oslo. Princess Astrid’s funeral will instead be held at Ris Church in Oslo, not far from the upscale Vindern district where Astrid and her late businessman husband Johan Martin Ferner lived with their five children. Services will begin at 1pm.
Oslo-based Telenor’s former operations in Myanmar came back to haunt the large telecoms firm once again on Tuesday, when it was raided by Norwegian police and formally charged with possible crimes against humanity. What had been a promising expansion into Myanmar turned into a nightmare, after another military coup in the former Burma in 2021.
Telenor’s modern, fjordside headquarters at Fornebu west of Oslo was raided by state authorities on Tuesday morning. PHOTO: Telenor
The company itself announced both the raid and the charges against it, after Norway’s domestic intelligence agency PST and state police unit Kripos turned up at company headquarters Tuesday morning. The company announced that it “was informed … that an investigation has been opened and charges brought against the company on suspicion of breaching the Sanctions Act, as well as complicty in crimes against humanity.”
Telenor continues to claim that its employees in Myanmar “risked imprisonment, torture or the death penalty if the military authorities’ orders were not complied with.” Telenor spokesman David Fidjeland was once again claiming on Tuesday that Telenor landed in “a very demanding situation” after the coup, and that company officials “had no real choice” but to follow the coup leaders’ orders.
“We could not put our employees’ lives at risk,” Fidjeland said on Tuesday.
Telenor’s cooperation with coup leaders instead put Telenor customers at risk, including Aung San Suu Kyi and hundreds of others. Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) published its own investigation into Telenor’s actions after the coup and reported in 2025 that the traffic data of 1,300 mobile phone customers was turned over to military officials and that nearly 500 customers risked arrest, including the Nobel Laureate who was later pardoned but kept under house arrest.
Now Telenor faces formal charges even though both PST and Kripos contended at an afternoon press conference that they have no doubt Telenor was caught in “an extremely demanding situation after the coup,” said Kripos attorney Espen Hjelmeland Hanken.
“At the same time the issue of necessity or justification is complex and built on various evaluations,” Hanken continued. “In such a serious case as this, the threshold for justification (of turning over customer records) is very high.”
Both PST and the company stressed that no Telenor subsidiaries or “private persons” (such as former Telenor bosses in Myanmar) have been charged in the case, at least not yet. Telenor later sold its operations in Myanmar and pulled out of the country.
Telenor itself noted that the company “has been in close dialogue with the Norwegian prosecuting authorities for a long time, and has handed over extensive documentation and information.” Those raiding the company on Tuesday said they wanted to secure documents regarding Telenor’s own investigation into the trouble in Myanmar.
Telenor’s troubles in Myanmar have long been a major political issue in Norway as well, since the former state telephone utility remains majority-owned by the state. “This is a very serious case and now we need to get all the facts about what the government and especially the trade minister has known about Telenor’s operations in Myanmar,” MP Per-Willy Amundsen of the conservative Progress Party told NRK on Tuesday. He leads the Parliament’s disciplinary committee, which so far has been denied access to many documents in the case.
“The state (which was a major supporter of Aung San Suu Kyi and tried to promote democracy in Myanmar) is a major owner in Telenor and (the government) has regular contact with the company regarding its operations,” Amundsen added. “We also want clarification about what the prime minister, trade minister and foreign minister has known about Telenor’s operations in Myanmar.”
Tensions continue to rise after a Russian drone attack on the locomotive of a Ukrainian passenger train near the Polish border during the weekend. A Norwegian state secretary was among those on board or nearby, along with a former Swedish- and British prime minister.
Officials visiting Ukraine almost always arrive by train, because it’s dangerous to fly into Kyiv. Trains have kept running even in the midst of war, like here when Norway’s former transport minister arrived to offer more support for the war-torn country. PHOTO: Samferdselsdepartementet
Russian authorities have since confirmed the attack and their desire to target “railroad infrastructure in western Ukraine that’s used to transport military material from European countries,” according to the Russian defense ministry. Polish authorities had already called the attack an “escalation” and another “major challenge for Ukraine and potential future victims of Russian aggression.”
There were several national security advisers and former leaders from various EU countries at the Jahodyn station when the attack occurred just 800 meters from the Polish border. Among them were Carl Bildt of Sweden and Boris Johnsen of the UK, both of whom have since reacted and noted how Ukrainians live with such attacks every day.
Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) reported that Eivind Vad Petersson of Norway’s foreign ministry was on board the train, but he stressed that the train still managed to arrive on time. “This is everyday life for millions of Ukrainians heading into their sixth winter of war,” he added. He was reportedly safe and back in Norway on Monday.
EU and NATO officials were also reacting, with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte saying the attack shows how desperate Russian President Vladimir Putin has become. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius also called the attack another escalation, adding that “what Vladimir Putin is doing is dangerous. He knows that and it’s why he’s doing it.”
Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign affairs chief, called the attack an attempt by Russia to frighten Ukraine’s partners. She stressed while arriving at a summit on the Arctic at Rovaniemi in Finland that Ukraine’s supporters must not be frightened, rather the opposite. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre was among those at the meeting on Monday, and noted Norway has long promoted strengthening of security cooperation in the area.
Norway’s control over Svalbard and here at Barentsburg has involved the country in other ongoing tensions over the recent arrest of a Russian ship. PHOTO: NewsinEnglish.no/Morten Møst
The drone attack comes shortly after tensions with Russia have also risen on Svalbard after a Norwegian court in Tromsø recently complied with a request to arrest the Russian cargo and passenger vesselProfessor Moltsjanov in Barentsburg at the request of Ukrainian officials. That set off complaints of a blockade from Russian authorities, and Norwegian officials have since claimed they have done what they can to help Russian citizens caught up in the legalities around the arrest.
The vessel, seized as part of claims from Ukraine over war reparations stretching back to Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014, has recently transported Russian civilians between Murmansk and their Russian enclave on Svalbard at Barentsburg. It also transports food and other supplies since it’s become difficult for Russians and Russian goods to travel by air to Svalbard through Norway, which governs the Arctic archipelago.
Arild Moe of Fridtjof Nansens Institute brushed off claims by Russian’s ambassador in Norway, however, that the arrested vessel serves as “lifeline” for Barentsburg. He claimed in newspaper Aftenposten last week that most of the supplies sent to Barentsburg actually come on Norwegian vessels from Tromsø in Northern Norway.
Norway’s foreign ministry, meanwhile, aims to tone down tensions with Russia, well aware of how Russia can respond with sabotage, threats and cyber attacks. The latter seemed to hit Norway’s Parliament on Monday, when its website was temporarily down in the latest attack claimed by a pro-Russian hacker group.
The weekend drone attack near the Polish border is another form of Russian response to pressure after nearly five years of unsuccessful warfare against Ukraine. Russia, meanwhile, has also recently criticized placement of American missile systems in Trøndelag, calling it a “highly destabilizing” act from a NATO country.
NATO and Norway respond that it’s part of necessary defense systems at a time of Russian aggression. Norwegian troops are also “training regularly with our (NATO) allies, and it’s not unusual that our allies have various equipment with them,” a Norwegian defense spokesman told new service NTB. Both Norwegian and NATO forces are also often on patrol in Arctic areas, tracking Russian submarines and other vessels.
There has been some criticism in Nroway of the Russian ship’s arrest in Barentsburg, meanwhile, with commentator Bjørgulv Braanen stressing that it’s in Norway’s best interests to keep tensions low in the Arctic and especially around Svalbard. He called the arrest “a case of bad timing” given all the other tensions at present.
The governor of Svarbard had already reported, however, that Norwegian authorities helped Russians “stranded” in Barentsburg to travel home. He said already last week that 69 of the passengers on board the arrested ship had been taken to Longyearbyen on Svalbard and then flown on a chartered flight to Kirkenes, from which they could be taken to the Russian border crossing at Storskog.
Former NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has decided to stay on as Norway’s finance minister, and won’t be taking over as head of the Munich Security Conference after all. He came home to Norway early last year to support his longtime political ally, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, and now he doesn’t want to leave.
Jens Stoltenberg was among Norwegian government ministers taking part in the funeral procession for King Harald V last week. Now he’s decided to stay on in his post as Norway’s finance minister. PHOTO: Franziska Schminke / Departementenes digitaliseringsorganisasjon
“For me, it’s more important to be finance minister in Norway than to be a leader in Munich,” Stoltenberg told newspaper Dagens Næringsliv (DN) on Monday. “I love Norway, I care about Norwegian politics and have become even more motivated to take part in it.”
Stoltenberg, now age 67, had already agreed to take on the top job at the Munich Security Conference when his extended term as NATO’s popular chief finally ended in late 2024. The Munich Security Conference is a prestigious forum that hosts its conference in Munich every year, and where national leaders, diplomats and military experts gather to discuss challenges.
But in January 2025, Stoltenberg’s old friend and longtime colleague Støre dropped by his home in Oslo and asked him to become his new finance minister. Stoltenberg is educated as an economist and played a key role in the formation and operation of Norway’s own now huge sovereign wealth fund that’s fueled by the country’s oil revenues.
Støre was also in the midst of political challenges at the time and could benefit from having the popular and likeable Stoltenberg on his team. Even though Stoltenberg had been prime minister himself, he was intrigued by the finance minister’s post and also happy to be home again in Oslo. He accepted Støre’s offer and was able to put the Munich post on hold.
The board of the Munich Security Conference proved to be understanding and agreed to keep the job open for Stoltenberg to take on when he was ready to take it on. That didn’t happen and speculation was rising over when he would be, especially with the Norwegian Parliament due to re-open in less than a month. It wouldn’t be right for Stoltenberg to present a new state budget proposal and disappear shortly therafter.
On Monday, DN could confirm that won’t happen. At a meeting in Berlin on Monday, the security conference’s board decided to split its leadership in two, with Stoltenberg sharing the post with German diplomat Helga Maria Schmid. He won’t be the working leader, but rather co-chair and representing the Norwegian government. He’ll also have a key role at the conference in February, as he would have anyway as a board member.
“For me it’s important to be fully on the job as finance minister, and not have to think about whether I’ll be continuing in that role,” Stoltenberg told DN. “I’ll also avoid the question about when I would take over in Munich.”
Stoltenberg is also a dedicated, long-time member of the Norwegian Labour Party and clearly wants to nurture that role as well. “I feel I have been very much involved in Norwegian politics already,” he added, and he wants to continue working on various tax reform proposals and new rules for the huge state pension fund known as the Oil Fund.
He didn’t want to talk about his plans after Norway’s next national election in 2029. “Then I’ll be 70 years old, and I don’t plan that far in advance,” Stoltenberg told DN. “At some point it will be important for the country, for the party and for me to quit. Right now I don’t know when that will be.”
More people than ever before were running in the Oslo Marathon on Saturday, and they set records for both participation and, in the women’s category, speed.
A total of 29,100 runners had signed up for the race, which sold out all its slots even before Christmas last year. Several thousand more were put on a waiting list and organizers said nearly 30,000 actually ran.
Runa Skrove Falch was the first woman to cross the finish line, with a time of two hours, 38 minutes and 13 seconds. That was the fastest ever for women in the Oslo marathon and surprised Falch herself, who otherwise works as an attorney. Erik Lomås won the men’s marathon with a time of two hours, 21 minutes and 42 seconds, in cool and overcast weather.
Norwegians headed into the weekend with more sad news from the Royal Palace in Oslo. Just two days after the funeral of their much-loved King Harald V came the announcement that his older sister, Princess Astrid, had also died, at the age of 94.
It was just over a week ago that Norway’s former first lady, Princess Astrid, sat by the casket of her younger brother, King Harald V, in the chapel at Norway’s Royal Palace in Oslo. She had also attended his funeral just the day before yesterday, and then died herself on Friday. PHOTO: Øivind Möller Bakken / Det kongelige hoff
Princess Astrid served as Norway’s first lady for more than a decade after her own mother, Crown Princess Martha, died at the age of 53 in 1954. Astrid was just 22 at the time, but both her father and grandfather were widowers and her older sister, Princess Ragnhild, had married shipowner Erling Lorentzen and moved to Brazil.
“There wasn’t anyone else who could take on the role,” Princess Astrid herself told state broadcaster NRK on the occasion of her 75th birthday in 2007. “I just had to roll up my sleeves and get to work.”
Princess Astrid at her desk at home at the royal estate at Skaugum in 1954, when she assumed royal duties as Norway’s “First Lady” following the death of her mother, Crown Princess Märtha. PHOTO: PHOTO: SA Sturlason, Det kongelige hoffs fotoarkiv
She never stopped working on behalf of the royal family, even after her brother could finally marry commoner Sonja Haraldsen in 1968 and the new Crown Princess, later Queen Sonja, could take over the first lady role. Astrid continued to work as royal patron of several organizations, not least the national organization to support others like her with dyslexia who have trouble reading and writing. Her own father, the late King Olav, was also among them.
She’s perhaps most fondly remembered for being by her father’s side after he became king in 1957 and traveling along Norway’s coastline to meet and greet the public. When the young and new Queen Elizabeth II of visited Norway in the summer of 1955, it was Princess Astrid who took part in official events because her mother was already ill. After her mother’s death she was always hostess during state visits by leaders who ranged from Ethiopia’s Haile Sellasie to the Shah of Iran.
This is one of the most recent photos of Princess Astrid, taken this past February when she was even working on her birthday. She’s shown here with her sister-in-law Queen Sonja at the opening of a new exhibit at the queen’s Art Stall in Oslo. PHOTO: Ola Vatn/Det kongelige hoff
She also got down to work at the royal palace, accompanied King Olav on officials trips and represented the nation until Sonja could take over. Like Sonja, Astrid also had to wait years for permission to marry the man she loved, businessman and clothing store owner Johan Martin Ferner, because he was divorced. King Olav finally approved their marriage in 1961, after much opposition from a strict Norwegian church at the time. They ended up having five children, the youngest of whom is still running the family’s fashionable Ferner-Jacobsen clothing store in downtown Oslo.
Her husband died in 2015 but Princess Astrid carried on as usual, also with her strong interest in sporting events. She was a fixture at the annual Holmenkollen ski jumping and skiing competition and won awards herself for her dedication to the sport. Her very name became popular again, as a new generation of Norwegians appreciated her service.
She’d had a privileged yet rough childhood. She was eight years old when Nazi Germany invaded Norway and the royal family fled the country. While her grandfather King Haakon VII and father Crown Prince Olav at the time joined the government in exile in London, her mother Crown Princess Martha sought refuge first with her family in Sweden and then in the USA.
President Franklin D Roosevelt took them in and they spent the war years as refugees living on an estate just outside Washington DC. Princess Astrid was 12 years old when the family could finally return to a liberated Norway that was far from the quiet and protected lives they’d led in America.
Both she and her older sister Ragnhild, who’d had private schooling at home, demanded to be allowed to attend public school and they finally could enroll in a fashionable girls’ school in Oslo. Despite her own diffculties reading and writing, she graduated from high school and like many royals, studied for a while at Oxford in England before returning home to take on royal duties when her mother was ill.
Princess Astrid fru Ferner, in one of the last official portraits of her taken earlier this year. PHOTO: Ola Vatn/Det kongelige hoff
Tributes were flowing in on Friday, with her children claiming she was “the best mama we could have had,” hailing her “wisdom, warmth and good humour.” They noted how she was “always there for grandfather King Olav and uncle King Harald, loyal and dutiful.”
Her nephew who just lost his father, the new King Haakon VIII, also noted how Princess Astrid “represented the Royal Family in a warm and dutiful manner,” and was “especially keen on caring for and including those who were most vulnerable in society.” He went on to say that his aunt “was an important source of support for King Harald and the rest of us in the family. We learned a lot from her,” adding that her death is another “great loss for us.”
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre also called her “a clever, dedicated and engaged representative of the Royal Family right to the end. My thoughts and my sympathy go to her closest family and to the entire royal family,” after they’d lost another “dear family member.”
The flag on the palace balcony that had just been raised after King Harald’s funeral on Wednesday was taken back down to half-mast on Friday, and would be again on the day of her funeral. All public buildings also lowered their flags to half mast. Her funeral was later set for September 23 at Ris kirke in Oslo, not far from her family’s longtime home at Vinderen.
Another four-week criminal trial will begin next year over the rape and violence charges against Marius Borg Høiby, son of Norway’s new Queen Mette-Marit. Høiby succeeded in getting Norway’s Court of Appeals to hear his objections to the Oslo District Court’s convictions earlier this year.
Høiby faced up to seven years in prison for four rapes, domestic assault and vandalism, also against live-in partners at the time. He was acquitted for two of the alleged rapes, but was sentenced in June to four years in prison and remained in police custody for fear he would violate restraining orders aimed to protect the women involved.
He was held in prison during his lengthy trial but later was allowed to live back on the royal estate at Skaugum with an electronic foot link to control his movements. He was also allowed to attend his step-grandfather King Harald’s funeral on Wednesday and join the family at the Royal Palace beforehand. The 29-year-old Høiby is Mette-Marit’s son from a relationship before she met the former Crown Prince Haakon who’s now Norway’s new king. He grew up within the royal family but holds no royal title himself.
After two weeks of national mourning over the death of King Harald V, Norwegian politicians ended a controversial political truce and have resumed quarreling over the country’s high fuel taxes. The taxes are adding to affordability issues even in wealthy Norway, after oil prices hit USD 109 on Friday morning.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has had a rough few weeks, following the death of King Harald V and now a new battle over fuel taxes. PHOTO: Morten Brakestad / Stortinget
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre is under pressure to offer tax relief, like his government did last winter when oil prices also soared. That relief ended on September 1, though, sending pump prices back up to levels that are record-high also in an oil-producing country like Norway.
Ole-Rikard Hammer, an oil and tanker analyst at Arctic Securities in Oslo, was calling the situation “dramatic,” as oil supplies were further disrupted after the Houthi militia in Yemen took control over more areas around the entrance to the Red Sea. Oil prices had earlier soared over US President Donald Trump’s war on Iran and tensions around the Strait of Hormuz.
While high oil prices further boost revenues for Norway’s own oil industry, Norwegian consumers are hit just as hard if not harder because of the country’s notoriously high fuel taxes. While a gallon of diesel in the US tipped over the USD 6 mark on Friday, the equivalent already cost roughly twice that in Norway. Even though electric vehicles now dominate, many Norwegians living outside major cities and towns, along with industry, still rely on diesel.
They’re angry, and blaming Støre’s Labour Party government for making fuel prices even higher than they need to be. The Center Party, which has been part of earlier Labour governments and supported Støre, is defecting and demanding that fuel tax relief be reinstated.
“The Center Party will propose reinstatement of the fuel tax cut at the first public meeting in Parliament (after Parliament reopens in early October),” Center leader Trygve Slagsvold Vedum told state broadcaster NRK on Thursday. That would cut around NOK 4.50 per liter from the price of fuel at the pump and Center has support from the right-wing Progress Party, which currently tops public opinion polls in Norway, and the small Christian Democrats party.
Progress, meanwhile, is putting heavy pressure on Norway’s Conservative Party to join the tax relief effort, in order to form a majority in Parliament and force the government into cutting fuel taxes again. Progress went so far to also propose an early opening of Parliament to address the fuel price issue.
“This is a crisis for all companies that are having trouble getting their wheels to turn, and who signed fuel contracts in January (before oil prices jumped),” Progress Party leader Sylvi Listhaug claimed on national radio even before oil prices jumped again on Friday. Now, Listhaug argues, they’re having to pay high fuel prices plus high fuel taxes that already are prompting many Norwegians to once again drive over the border to Sweden and fill their tanks. Sweden has long had lower fuel taxes than Norway and now, after more tax relief has been granted, a liter of unleaded fuel is as much as 10 kroner cheaper than in Norway. That comes at a time when the Norwegian and Swedish kroner are worth around same against the US dollar, on which oil prices are based.
The Conservatives’ new leader Ine Eriksen Søreide now finds herself under as much pressure as her arch-rival Støre of the Labour Party. She hesitated at lowering fuel taxes and hasn’t bowed to the Center- and far right demands yet, but now more than 60 local Conservative Party chapters around Norway are calling on her to cut fuel taxes, too. Most are from outlying areas, where public transport is poor and reliance on cars is high.
Even though farmers still benefit from a lack of fuel tax on diesel used for their tractors, Vedum of the Center Party claims they’re still suffering because of the high cost of other transport. He brushes off challenges over Norwegians’ otherwise high purchasing power, and over how high oil prices benefit Norway’s oil industry, which in turn pumps up Norway’s huge sovereign wealth fund.
“You have to look at who’s being hit by high fuel prices now,” Vedum argued, “and that’s those within construction, transport and fisheries.” And “normal folks,” as he calls middle-class Norwegians, who need to drive.
It was only two weeks ago that Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre was back in Kyiv, for more meetings with the embattled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Norway remains one of Ukraine’s biggest supporters, and on Tuesday night, Zelensky flew into Oslo for the funeral of Norwegian King Harald V and even more meetings.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (center right) met once again with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday evening, flanked on both sides by his foreign minister, Espen Barth Eide (left) and his finance minister Jens Stoltenberg (right), a former NATO chief who knows Zelensky well. The meeting in Oslo was pulled together at short notice, but meant to maintain pressure against Russia and its relentless attacks on Ukraine in recent months. PHOTO: Torbjørn Kjosvold / SMK
“Norway stands together with the Ukrainians,” said Støre after meeting once again with Zelensky at his hotel in downtown Oslo. Time for the meeting was carved out on the eve of King Harald’s funeral on Wednesday, with a large delegation on both sides.
There were likely to be more meetings in Oslo between Zelensky and other visiting heads of state who also support Ukraine. “Ukraine is heading into a hard winter,” Støre said, noting how Russia has “stepped up its missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian homes and critical infrastructure.”
“It’s important to uphold the pressure on Russia to bring an end to this war,” Støre said. He and Zelensky were also meeting representatives from the European defense industry “to discuss the development of anti-ballistic air defense.”
Norwegian Prime Minister Johan Gahr Støre and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had another reunion in Oslo Tuesday evening. Zelensky later attended the funeral on Wednesday of the late Norwegian King Harald V, who also had met Zelensky several times. PHOTO: Torbjørn Kjosvold / SMK
Even in the middle of national mourning and all the events tied to King Harald’s death, Støre and other leaders currently in Oslo were taking time to meet with Zelensky and offer more support. Støre added that Europe itself “must cooperate even more closely and more long-term, in order to strengthen Ukraine’s and our own defense capability and opposition.”
Norway and nine other European countries have already established a new coalition for defense against ballistic missiles. The goal is to assemble competence within the defense industry, research and military experience.
Støre noted that anti-ballistic air defense “is absolutely central in order to do that.” Norway, meanwhile, remains caught in a new conflict with Russia itself amidst rising tensions and concern that Russia may target defense contractors or even a NATO ally to test NATO’s response. Russian President Vladimir Putin was not invited to King Harald’s funeral.
UPDATED: Lengthy funeral ceremonies were held on Wednesday for Norway’s late King Harald V, whose casket had been lying in state at the Royal Palace for the past week. Tens of thousands of Norwegians had already streamed past it, to pay their respects before it left the palace for a slow procession on foot to the Oslo Cathedral.
Guards in dress uniform from all four branches of the Norwegian military stood at attention around King Harald V’s casket while it was lying in the chapel at the Royal Palace in Oslo. Those streaming by could also view his royal regalia, flowers from his family and even the crown that hasn’t been used since coronations were dropped shortly after Norway’s monarchy was restored in 1905. PHOTO: Vanessa Andrea Vågstøl Hilland / Forsvaret
More than 35,000 people had viewed King Harald’s casket by Tuesday afternoon, most all of them waiting in line for as long as seven hours. “That alone says something about our society,” Laura Maria Schütze, a Danish researcher specializing in royal funerals, told newspaper Aftenposten. Even though traditions have become vulnerable in the digital age, Schütze stressed how rituals around major events can help people feel they’re part of them.
“That can function like glue in society,” Schütze said. Many standing in line, or emerging from the chapel, agreed. “For me, this is a major Norwegian historical event,” Elisabeth Hoddevik, age 47, told Aftenposten after she’d already been standing in line for an hour.
Norwegians expressed first their best wishes for the king, and then their sorrow through mounds of flowers and written greetings. PHOTO: NewsinEnglish.no/Morten Møst
While most of the flowers are likely to be used for compost, palace staff have confirmed that every single card, drawing and letter has been carefully collected and added to the National Archives at Sognsvann in the hills above Oslo.
Cards and drawings like these have been collected and will be preserved at Norway’s national archives, for generations to come. A child named Luna had written that “Harald” was “the best king in the whole world!” She signed it “with hugs and kisses from Luna.” PHOTO: NewsinEnglish.no/Morten Møst
The funeral procession from the Royal Palace began at noon Wednesday, after King Harald’s casket was rolled out of the palace’s chapel and put on a military trailer, bound for the cathedral. The procession was led by mounted police, a military marching band, members of His Majesty the King’s Guards and the leader of the Royal Palace staff, Hoffsjef Olav Heian-Engdal.
Norway’s new king, Haakon VIII, followed his father’s casket wearing a red sash and ceremonial medals on his dress uniform. He was accompanied by his two children and his sister, Princess Martha Louise at far right. PHOTO: Martin Siewartz Nielsen / Kunnskapsdepartementet
First in line behind the casket was Norway’s new King Haakon VIII, Harald’s son, along with Haakon’s first-born child, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, and her younger brother, Prince Sverre Magnus. Following them was the late King Harald’s widow, the 89-year-old Queen Sonja, and Haakon’s wife, the new Queen Mette-Marit, both of them riding in a slow-moving royal limousine. Mette-Marit is still recovering from a lung transplant in June.
Swedish King Carl Gustaf (with red sash at left), his daughter, Swedish Crown Princess Victoria (center) and her husband Prince Daniel (right) led the procession of other royals walking through Oslo Wednesday on their way to King Harald’s funeral. They included King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, Prince Albert of Monaco and King Abdullah of Jordan among others. PHOTO: Martin Siewartz Nielsen / Kunnskapsdepartementet
Following them, mostly on foot, were all the royal guests able and willing to walk to the Cathedral, where formal ceremonies began at 1pm. Kings, queens, princes and princesses had arrived in Oslo from all over Europe, plus Japan, Jordan and several other countries, and they were followed by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, the Parliament’s President Masud Gharahkhani and the chief justice of Norway’s Supreme Court, Toril Marie Øie.
They were in turn followed by other visiting heads of state, government ministers, supreme court justices, the leader of the Sami Parliament, the governor of Svalbard, Oslo Mayor Anne Lindboe and Defense Chief Eirik Kristoffersen among other dignitaries.
Here are Prince William of Great Britain and his aunt, Princess Anne, representing the UK at King Harald’s funeral on Wednesday. Behind them is Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky and other heads of state including Norway’s own Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, who spoke at King Harald’s funeral. PHOTO: Martin Siewartz Nielsen / Kunnskapsdepartementet
The solemn procession on Wednesday also included Prince William of Great Britain and his aunt, Princess Anne, who is one of King Haakon VIII’s godmothers. There’s a long-standing tie between the Norwegian and British royal families, since Norway’s first modern king, Haakon VII, had been a Danish prince who was married to one of Queen Victoria’s granddaughters, who became Queen Maud of Norway. She continued to spend much of her time back home in England, and died at a relatively early age in 1938. She was the late King Harald’s grandmother.
The king’s funeral was also attended by members of the Norwegian government, the state’s representatives around the country and as many others as the Oslo Cathedral could hold. The hour-long ceremony was full of music, poetry and even a gospel choir that illustrated the diversity and inclusion that King Harald had hailed during his 35-year reign.
More than 3,000 military personnel in dress uniform has lined the streets from the palace to the cathedral and on to the Akershus Fortress and Castle, where a private ceremony was held for the family before King Harald’s casket will be placed in a sarcophagus in the royal mausoleum under Akershus’ chapel.
From there it was back to the palace for a reception at the Royal Palace. All flags were raised back to full mast amidst canon salutes, ringing church bells around the country and a “missing man” formation by fighter jets over Oslo. The royal family and palace staff will, however, remain in mourning for King Harald for another month. The rest of the country was due to get back to business from Thursday.
