An Elegant Royal Farewell to King Harald V of Norway in Oslo

The extended royal family gathered in the Norwegian capital today to bid farewell to King Harald V of Norway in a state funeral service held at Oslo Cathedral.

King Haakon VIII of Norway led the mourners today at the funeral for his late father, King Harald V, in Oslo. The late monarch’s coffin was transported from the Royal Palace to Oslo Cathedral in a solemn procession. King Haakon VIII, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Prince Sverre Magnus, and Princess Märtha Louise walked behind the coffin.

In a remarkable sight for the modern era, the procession also included numerous other royals, including the sovereigns of Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Jordan, Spain, Luxembourg, and Monaco, and the heirs of the United Kingdom, Japan, and Liechtenstein.

Nearly all of the royal ladies in attendance wore the expected mourning attire: black with pearls. Here, Queen Sonja of Norway arrives with her son, King Haakon VIII, for the service. She also pinned her late husband’s Royal Family Order to her dress.

Queen Mette-Marit also wore the late King’s Royal Family Order, plus pearl and diamond cluster earrings and a three-row pearl necklace.

Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra wore King Harald’s Royal Family Order with a special necklace. The heart-shaped pendant, suspended from a single row of pearls, is set with diamonds and a central ruby, reflecting Norway’s national colors. The necklace was given to Ingrid Alexandra by her grandmother, Queen Sonja, as a christening present in 2004.

Princess Märtha Louise arrived for her father’s funeral wearing his Royal Family Order and pearls, including a lovely five-row choker necklace with an antique diamond and pearl clasp.

King Harald’s sister, Princess Astrid, wore pearls as well, plus the Royal Family Orders of her brother, their father (King Olav V), and their grandfather (King Haakon VII).

The deep family and diplomatic ties between the late King and heads of state around the world were reflected in the guest list for the funeral. The entire Swedish royal family was in attendance: King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia (who wore pearls with an antique diamond bow brooch), Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia, Princess Madeleine and Chris O’Neill, and Princess Christina and Tord Magnuson.

King Harald was Crown Princess Victoria’s godfather, and she read a prayer during the funeral service. She wore pearl earrings, a pearl necklace with a cluster clasp, and a lovely antique heart-shaped mourning brooch.

Princess Sofia and Princess Madeleine wore minimal jewelry: a little cluster brooch on Sofia’s coat, and small stud earrings for Madeleine.

Denmark was represented by King Frederik X, Queen Mary, and Crown Prince Christian, plus Princess Benedikte with Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg. (Queen Margrethe was scheduled to attend but had to cancel following a recent hospitalization.) Mary wore pearl and diamond earrings and a pearl and diamond cluster brooch from a suite of jewels that belonged to Queen Lovisa of Denmark, King Harald’s great-grandmother.

The Greek royal branch of the Danish royal family was also well-represented, with Queen Anne-Marie, Crown Prince Pavlos, Prince Nikolaos, Princess Alexia, and Carlos Morales Quintana also in attendance at the service. Queen Anne-Marie wore a golden flower brooch for the occasion.

The Belgian royals and Norwegian royals are close cousins—King Harald’s mother, Crown Princess Märtha, and King Philippe’s grandmother, Queen Astrid, were sisters. For the funeral, Queen Mathilde wore a pearl choker, her diamond butterfly brooch, and Queen Fabiola’s pearl drop earrings. She wore the same combination of jewels for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II four years ago.

The Luxembourgish royals are also close cousins, as Grand Duke Guillaume V is a great-grandson of Queen Astrid. He attended alongside his wife, Grand Duchess Stéphanie, who wore earrings set with dark gemstones, and his father, Grand Duke Henri.

The Dutch royal family was represented by King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima, Princess Amalia, and Princess Beatrix. Máxima wore pearl earrings with a nineteenth-century pearl and diamond brooch from the family collection. Máxima also wore this brooch for Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral in 2022.

Princess Amalia borrowed pearl and diamond earrings from her mother’s collection for the occasion. She also wore a pearl ring.

Amalia sat beside her grandmother, Princess Beatrix, during the service. Beatrix wore more pearl jewelry, including a bangle bracelet with pearl tips.

Queen Letizia of Spain wore her Ansorena diamond and pearl drop earrings for the service, plus a special necklace. The strand of pearls is part of Queen Ena’s joyas de pasar collection, which is earmarked for the use of the Queen of Spain.

Queen Sofia wore pearls, too, though photos of her weren’t plentiful. Here, you catch a glimpse of her as she greets the Prince of Wales, the grandson of her Greek royal cousin, Prince Philip.

The King and Queen of Jordan were present as well. Queen Rania does not usually wear much traditional jewelry for these kinds of mourning events, and today was no exception.

Also in minimal jewelry—pearl stud earrings and her diamond engagement ring—was Princess Charlene of Monaco, who attended with her husband, Prince Albert II.

Hereditary Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein brought along pearl and diamond pieces for the service, including a two-row pearl necklace and a lovely diamond ribbon brooch. We saw her wear the same brooch at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in 2022.

The Emperor and Empress of Japan were represented by Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko, who wore black earrings and a matching beaded necklace, plus a luminous dark bow brooch.

Prince William represented his father at the funeral, but there was also another British royal family member in attendance: the Princess Royal, who wore her gold and diamond ribbon brooch for the service. Anne was present in a personal capacity; she is King Haakon’s godmother.

The former monarchy of Serbia was represented by Crown Prince Alexander, who has remained close to his Scandinavian cousins over the years. He was joined by Crown Princess Katherine, who wore a gold ring on her right hand.

After the funeral, the King’s body was interred in the Royal Mausoleum at Akershus Castle, beside his parents and his grandparents. The royals returned to the Royal Palace, where they held an official reception for their guests. King Haakon VIII, Queen Mette-Marit, Queen Sonja, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, and Prince Sverre Magnus also made a brief appearance on the palace balcony, waving in gratitude to the thousands of mourners gathered below.