By Gwladys Fouche, Claudia Greco and Leonhard Foeger
OSLO, Sept 9 (Reuters) – King Harald V of Norway will be laid to rest on Wednesday, in a series of ceremonies marking the culmination of 13 days of national mourning following his death at the age of 89.
Harald, a reformer who spent more than three decades on the throne after gradually emerging from the shadow of his popular and charismatic father, died at a time of multiple crises for the Norwegian royal family.
A procession on foot from the royal palace to Oslo Cathedral will start at 1200 local time (1000 GMT) followed by a church ceremony at about 1300 local time (1100 GMT). The ceremony will begin with a nationwide minute of silence.
Among the guests expected are Britain’s Prince William and Princess Anne; Japan’s Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko; Spain’s King Felipe, Queen Letizia and Queen Sofia; Sweden’s royal family; and Denmark’s King Frederik and Queen Mary.
Heads of state from around the world have also been invited.
WILL THE NEW QUEEN ATTEND?
Queen Mette-Marit, 53, is expected to attend but will travel by car with Harald’s widow, Queen Sonja, 89, as she continues to recover from a lung transplant undertaken in June.
Last week, Mette-Marit had to cancel plans to attend her husband King Haakon VIII’s oath ceremony in parliament due to complications following her operation.
Her son, Marius Borg Hoiby, from a relationship before her marriage to Haakon, is also expected at the funeral despite being under house arrest and wearing an ankle monitor after his conviction for rape and domestic violence. He is appealing the sentence.
Hoiby was one of the pall-bearers during the transfer of Harald’s coffin to the royal chapel, drawing criticism in some quarters in Norway and abroad.
After Wednesday’s service, a smaller procession will accompany the coffin to the royal crypt at Akershus Fortress overlooking Oslo harbour. There, Harald’s coffin will be placed in a sarcophagus, alongside those of his parents.
When Haakon emerges from the crypt, the national mourning period will formally end and flags that have flown at half-mast since Harald’s death will be raised again.
A POPULAR KING
Norwegian police said securing the funeral is the largest planned operation in the force’s history, with large crowds expected in central Oslo. School children will be allowed to skip classes to attend the funeral.
Hundreds of thousands of Norwegians have paid tribute to Harald by leaving flowers, candles and flags outside the Royal Palace or filing past his coffin in the royal chapel.
Many mourners have praised Harald’s warmth and inclusiveness, while Haakon described him as a wonderful father in his first address to the nation as sovereign.
The monarchy remains broadly popular: 72% of Norwegians support it, while 20% favour a republic or another form of government, a Norstat poll for broadcaster NRK published on September 1 found, the first poll taken since Harald’s death.
(Reporting by Gwladys Fouche, Nerijus Adomaitis, Nora Buli, Terje Solsvik, Claudia Greco, Leonhard Foeger, Tom Little and Dylan Martinez in Oslo; Editing by Ros Russell)
