More than 46,000 people pay respects to King Harald of Norway ahead of royal funeral
King Harald will be laid to rest in Oslo on Wednesday in a royal funeral similar to what the world saw for Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.
The beloved monarch’s coffin has been laying in state following his death on August 28, with more than 46,000 people lining up to pay their respects, Norway’s royal household said.
People wait in a line at the Palace Square in Oslo, Norway, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, to parade past King Harald’s bier AP Photo/Markus Schreiber
“After King Harald V’s bier was taken to the Palace Chapel, thousands have visited the chapel every day to parade and say goodbye to the King of Norway for 35 years,” they royals said in a statement.
“The Palace Chapel opened to the public on September 1st and today, Tuesday September 8th, was the last opportunity for those who wanted to parade [past the coffin].”
The queue to the chapel was closed in the afternoon to allow everyone lining up the opportunity to walk past the bier before it closed at 7pm (3am Wednesday AEST).
Members of the royal family, official representatives of Norway, the diplomatic corps, the Armed Forces and many others made their way past the coffin as it lay in state inside the royal palace.
The queue to the Palace Chapel was closed in the afternoon, to allow everyone lining up the opportunity to walk past the bier before the chapel closed. AP Photo/Markus Schreiber
Widow Queen Sonja visited the chapel on Monday, the palace revealed, sharing the poignant and heartbreaking photos on social media.
“Thank you for a good life,” the caption read.
Harald’s death came a day before the couple’s 58th wedding anniversary.
Photos over the past few days have shown long queues snaking across the palace grounds as people waited hours to pay their last respects to the much-loved monarch.
After 35 years on the throne, many Norwegians came to see him as a grandfather figure and greatly mourned his loss.
Widow Queen Sonja visited the chapel on Monday, the palace revealed, sharing the poignant and heartbreaking photos on social media. Instagram/Norwegian Royal Court
Queen Sonja lost her husband a day before their 58th wedding anniversary. Instagram/Norwegian Royal Court
King Harald’s funeral will take place 12 days after the 89-year-old’s death in hospital while being treated for a serious blood infection.
The funeral will begin with a procession of the coffin from Royal Palace to Oslo Cathedral at midday (8pm AEST) on Wednesday.
The new king, queen and crown princess will lead the royal procession with Queen Sonja and Princess Märtha Louise.
People walk past a poster depicting Norway’s late King Harald on the eve of his funeral in Oslo, Norway, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026 AP Photo/Markus Schreiber
Prince Sverre Magnus will walk alongside his sister Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra. Their half brother Marius Borg Høiby will attend the funeral and has been given special permission from police to be there from his house arrest, like last week when he joined the procession through the palace.
International royals, set to include Queen Mary, King Frederik, Princess Anne and Prince William, along with members of parliament, are also expected to take part in the procession.
This will be followed by one-minute’s silence at 1pm (9pm AEST) to start the ceremony.
It’s not known if Marius Borg Høiby (back right) will be with the royal family for the procession of the coffin, despite making an appearance together last week. AP
The service will be led by Reverend Olav Fykse Tveit, Preses of the Bishops’ Conference for the Church of Norway, an Evangelical-Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity.
After the funeral, the coffin will be taken by another procession to Akershus Castle Church, where there’ll be a private ceremony for the family and royal guests.
The royal household confirmed that the president of the Storting (Norwegian parliament), the prime minister, the chief justice of the Supreme Court and the presidents of Iceland and Finland will also be present.
The funeral service for Norway’s late King Harald will be held at Oslo Cathedral (pictured). AP Photo/Markus Schreiber
The bier will be lowered into the crypt in the palace church, where there are two sarcophagi (or stone coffins) with King Haakon, Queen Maud, King Olav and Crown Princess Märtha in them.
Following this ceremony, flags – which have been at half-mast since King Harald’s death – will return to full-staff as King Haakon and Queen Mette-Marit come out into the courtyard of Akershus Fortress as a double royal salute is fired.
At the same time, the country’s church bells will ring for one hour.
Princess Martha Louise (left) and her brother King Haakon VIII (second left) will lead the royal procession alongside the new Queen Mette-Marit (second from right) and widow Queen Sonja (right). AP
The king and queen together with the crown princess, Queen Sonja and Prince Sverre Magnus will drive back to the Royal Palace, where they will make an appearance together on the balcony about 4.45pm (12.45am Thursday AEST) for crowds gathered in the palace square.
There will also be a big screen showing the funeral in nearby Castle Park.
Following the balcony appearance the king and queen will host a private wake inside the palace for visiting royals and dignitaries.
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