King Harald's Coffin Arrives at Palace
- King Harald V of Norway died on 28 August 2026 at the age of 89, with his coffin transferred from hospital to the Royal Palace in Oslo the same evening.
- Around 13,000 people gathered at the Palace Square, according to NRK, with crowds lining the rain-soaked streets of Oslo throughout the procession.
- King Haakon VIII, who automatically became head of state upon his father's death, is expected to take the constitutional oath before parliament on Tuesday; a burial date has not
The coffin of King Harald V of Norway was transferred from the Rikshospitalet university hospital to the Royal Palace in Oslo on the evening of Friday 28 August, hours after the monarch died at the age of 89. Harald V passed away at 6.35am; the procession from the hospital chapel began at 6.30pm the same day, escorted through the capital by police motorcyclists.
Thousands Line the Streets Despite Rain
Despite persistent rain, large numbers of Oslo residents gathered along the route to pay their respects. According to the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK, approximately 13,000 people assembled in the Palace Square by the time the cortège arrived. A wide spread of floral tributes had already formed on the square in the hours following the announcement of Harald's death. The coffin will lie in the palace chapel, where members of the public will be able to pay their respects ahead of a burial date that has not yet been confirmed.
Royal Family Accompanies the Cortège
The new King Haakon VIII, aged 53, travelled in the procession alongside Queen Mette-Marit (53), Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra (22), the former Queen Sonja (89), Prince Sverre Magnus (20) and Princess Märtha Louise (54). Haakon VIII assumed the role of head of state automatically upon his father's death — Norway does not hold a coronation ceremony. He is expected to take the constitutional oath before the Norwegian parliament on Tuesday.
National Mourning and Burial Plans
The palace has announced that mourning ceremonies will be held across the country on Sunday. Harald V reigned for almost 35 years and was widely regarded as a symbol of stability and national cohesion. He is to be interred in the royal mausoleum at Akershus Fortress in Oslo, though no date for the burial has yet been set. Norway joins a period of sombre reflection shared by other nations that have recently lost long-serving monarchs; Uganda's King Oyo of Tooro also died this year, prompting similarly widespread public grief. The transfer of Harald's remains marks the formal beginning of the public mourning period for a monarch who spent nearly four decades on the throne.
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