Funeral of Norway's late King Harald set for September 9: palace

On September 9, Norway will hold the funeral for its late King Harald, announced the royal palace on Sunday. The ceremony will be led by Presiding Bishop of the Church of Norway, Olav Fykse Tveit, at Oslo Cathedral. King Harald V, who passed away on Friday at the age of 89, was respected for his widespread support despite various scandals plaguing his family during the latter part of his 35-year reign.

Upon announcement of the funeral, the palace revealed the king's casket, moved from the hospital to the Royal Palace's Red Salon on Friday evening, would be transferred to the palace chapel on Monday afternoon. From 2pm on Tuesday, members of the public could pay their respects to King Harald as they slowly walked past the casket until the day before the funeral.

King Haakon VIII, Norway's new monarch, will swear an oath of allegiance in parliament on Tuesday. Harald was seen as a symbol of an open and tolerant Norway, noted for leading a modern and modest monarchy. However, he faced increasing health issues in his later years, leading to a reduction in his official schedule. The past year has been tumultuous for Norway's royal family, with King Haakon's wife Mette-Marit under scrutiny for her connections to the late US sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein.

In June, Mette-Marit's son from a previous relationship, Marius Borg Hoiby, received a four-year prison sentence for two rape convictions, an appeal against which he is currently pursuing.