Long before a monarch dies, a specific protocol is already planned to manage both the death of the highest representative of the monarchy and the subsequent farewell events. In the case of Queen Elizabeth II, four years ago, the so-called Operation London Bridge was launched. After the death of King Harald V of Norway on August 28, Operation K — king in Norwegian is “Konge” — was activated, a plan designed by the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs that establishes how all phases will unfold: from the announcement of the death to the lying in state, the state funeral, and the subsequent burial.
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Since September 1, the remains of King Harald have been at the Royal Palace of Oslo, where a lying-in-state chapel was set up open to citizens, through which tens of thousands of people have passed in recent days, according to Nordic media figures, to show their condolences and respect to who was their monarch since 1991. It is here that the farewell events will begin on the morning of this Wednesday, attended by representatives of monarchies and other international delegations.
The first farewell, the most intimate, will take place on the morning of Wednesday, September 9, in the palace chapel, when the Norwegian royal family will unite in a moment of prayer. At noon, once the gathering concludes, one of the key parts of the funeral will begin, for which the largest security operation ever carried out in Norway has been activated. As reported by Norwegian media such as TV2 and Aftenposten, more than 6,500 police officers and soldiers are expected to be deployed from early morning at strategic points and along the route to the cathedral through which the coffin and the royal procession will pass.
The monarch’s coffin will leave the Royal Palace in a black Mercedes-Benz Geländewagen military vehicle, covered by the royal standard, the crown, and the kingdom’s sword. At the moment the doors open, 21 gun salutes will be fired at 30-second intervals from Akershus Fortress and other military facilities in the country. Then the funeral procession will begin, with the presence of the Norwegian royal family and other international representatives.
All royal houses have confirmed representation at the event. Kings Felipe VI and Letizia will attend, accompanied by Queen Sofía; William of England will be the United Kingdom’s highest representative along with Princess Anne; Kings Frederik and Mary of Denmark will attend with Crown Prince Christian and Princess Benedikte — Margrethe of Denmark cannot attend due to her hospitalization —; Kings Philippe and Mathilde of Belgium; Kings Willem-Alexander and Máxima of the Netherlands, accompanied by Princess Amalia and Princess Beatrix; the Grand Dukes of Luxembourg, Guillaume and Stéphanie, along with Henri of Luxembourg; Princes Albert and Charlene of Monaco; Kings Carl Gustaf and Silvia of Sweden, traveling with the entire Swedish royal family; Kings Abdullah II and Rania of Jordan; and Princes Akishino and Kiko of Japan.
This is how the procession from the Royal Palace to Oslo Cathedral will be
The mortal remains of the monarch will travel a distance of just over one kilometer, the distance between the Royal Palace and Oslo Cathedral where the funeral will take place, escorted by members of the police, the army, his family, heads of state, and members of the Nordic government. The procession will be led by the mounted police; followed by the music band of the Armed Forces General Staff and the Army band and the royal guard. After them will be the car carrying Harald V’s coffin, accompanied by his aides, who will be positioned on both sides of the vehicle. Immediately after will be the Norwegian royal family: King Haakon VIII, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Prince Sverre Magnus, and Princess Märtha Louise, Harald and Sonia’s eldest daughter who could not reign due to the Salic law — which Norway abolished in 1990 without retroactive effect. Queen Sonia and Queen Mette-Marit participate in the procession from a car.
After the deceased monarch’s family, representatives of European royal families will join the procession, along with the president of the Storting (Parliament), the prime minister, and the president of the Supreme Court, and other foreign heads of state. In the following blocks will be the rest of the Norwegian government members, the presidency of the Storting, and other representatives of the state powers. As Nordic media have reported, the funeral procession will advance slowly, at 60 steps per minute. According to media such as NRK, in addition to Norwegian soldiers, the operation will also include British, Swedish, and Danish soldiers, due to blood ties between these monarchies.
All eyes will be on the place to be occupied by one of the day’s protagonists: Marius Borg Høiby. The eldest son of Queen Mette-Marit is under house arrest after being sentenced to four years in prison for, among other things, two counts of rape. A measure that was extended for another four weeks last Monday. Despite this, the justice system has granted him permission to attend the monarch’s funeral, who, in all respects, acted as his grandfather. It is unknown what role he will have in the entire operation and whether he will occupy a privileged place in the planned events or remain in the background to avoid drawing attention to himself. He attracted attention last Monday when he was one of those responsible for carrying Harald’s coffin to the lying-in-state chapel.
Harald V’s funeral ceremony
Just before 1:00 p.m., three bells will ring in churches across the country. Then, a minute of silence will be observed, ending with the ringing of three more bells.
At one o’clock, the liturgical service will begin, presided over by Bishop Olav Fykse Tveit, and the Bishop of Oslo Sunniva Gylver will also participate in the ceremony. Both the president of Parliament, Masud Gharakhani, and the prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, will deliver commemorative speeches, and representatives of different religions and philosophies will light candles in the cathedral.
Once the funeral ceremony ends, the Air Force will perform a tribute flight over the temple. Four F-35 fighters will fly in what is called the “missing man” formation. The state funeral will then conclude, but it will not be the last farewell to King Harald V.
The private farewell
When the ceremony at Oslo Cathedral concludes, King Harald’s coffin will be transported to a new point in the city: the Akershus Castle church, located one kilometer from the temple. The Norwegian royal family and other guests will gather for a private ceremony around 2:00 p.m. The presence of members of European monarchies is expected, although it is unknown if all those present at the public ceremony will attend. The presence of the president of the Storting, the prime minister, the president of the Supreme Court, and the presidents of Iceland and Finland has been confirmed.
Afterward, King Harald’s coffin will be lowered into the royal crypt to rest alongside the sarcophagi of his parents, Kings Olav and Märtha, and his grandparents, King Haakon VII and Queen Maud. Once the mortal remains are placed in their resting place, the funeral’s closure will begin with the appearance of the new King Haakon VIII and Queen Mette-Marit in the courtyard of Akershus Fortress. At that moment, the flags will be raised fully again — this task has been assigned to more than 200 soldiers — a double royal salute will be fired, and the church bells across the country will ring for an hour. The event will conclude with the royal family’s procession back to the Royal Palace of Oslo.
The image of the new kings
The emotional day’s final highlight will be the new kings and the rest of the royal family on the Royal Palace balcony. From here, around five in the afternoon, they will greet the citizens who come to the place and show the new image of the royal house. They all appeared together last Monday when they transferred King Harald’s remains to the palace’s lying-in-state chapel, but this will be their first official image. A moment starring King Haakon, Queen Mette-Marit, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Queen Sonia, and Prince Sverre Magnus, which will also mark the beginning of a new era in Norway. The new monarch has a difficult goal to fulfill: to honor his father’s memory and keep the citizens’ affection for the crown intact.
Who will not be on the balcony is Märtha Louise of Norway: Harald and Sonia’s daughter renounced her royal duties in November 2022 due to her business agreements and her marriage to shaman Durek Verrett, whom she married in August 2024. Since 2022, she has not acted as a representative of the royal family, although she has been involved in more than one controversy for trying to profit economically from her princess title, which she still holds. Another unknown is whether her husband, who recently underwent a kidney transplant, will be seen at any point.
