Harald V passed away on August 28 at the age of 89. He had been on the Norwegian throne for 35 years. Following his death, a 13-day national mourning period was declared in the country. On the morning of September 9, residents of Oslo began gathering along the route of the funeral procession. At noon, the coffin with Harald V's body was carried out of the Royal Palace and transported to Oslo Cathedral. Along with members of the Norwegian royal family, foreign monarchs, heads of state, and government officials participated in the procession. ### A Minute of Silence Across the Country At 1:00 PM local time, a memorial service began at the cathedral. At the start, Harald V was honored with a minute of silence throughout Norway. The ceremony was led by the chair of the Norwegian Church's episcopate, Olav Fykse Tveit, and included the Bishop of Oslo, Sunniva Gylver.  After the service, the funeral procession made its way from the cathedral to Akershus Fortress. There, a private ceremony took place, after which Harald V's body was transferred to the royal mausoleum. Representatives from many European and world monarchies attended the funeral, including royal houses from Sweden, Denmark, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Monaco, and Jordan. Among the foreign political leaders was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. ### Latvia Represented by Edgars Rinkēvičs Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs also participated in the ceremony. His presence in Oslo on September 9 was officially confirmed by the Latvian President's Office. Even before the day of the funeral, more than 46,000 people came to bid farewell to Harald V — that many people passed by the king's coffin in the palace chapel. The funeral of Harald V marked the end of the national mourning and the conclusion of an entire era for Norway. The country is now led by his son — King Haakon VIII.
