The public mourning period for the King Harald V of Norway, who passed away on Friday, continued this weekend and into Monday with a series of ceremonies in Oslo and throughout the country.
On Sunday, memorial services were held in churches throughout Norway for the late King. Members of the royal family were present for the service in Asker Church, which is located near the Skaugum estate. King Haakon VIII was accompanied at the service by his children, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus, and his mother, Queen Sonja.
During the service, Asker’s parish priest highlighted the late King’s unifying role: “With generosity and wisdom, he embraced who we are as Norwegians and what Norway is as a country.” She also offered prayers for the new monarch and the royal family as they face the days ahead.
For the service, Queen Sonja wore pearls, including a necklace, earrings, and bracelet. Her necklace, a single row of pearls, featured a lovely antique diamond bow clasp with a ruby center stone and a pearl drop.
Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, as she has done for events since her grandfather’s passing, wore a simple pair of pearl drop earrings. They appear to be the same ones she wore for her 18th birthday gala in 2022. If so, they were a joint birthday gift from members of the Belgian and Dutch royal families.
On Monday afternoon, the entire royal family was present at the Royal Palace in Oslo as the late King’s coffin was moved from the Red Salon to the Royal Chapel. Employees of the royal court lined the route as the family processed with the coffin through the palace, with Harald’s children and grandchildren walking on either side of the bier. Court officials followed with four of Harald’s chivalric orders (Norway’s Order of St. Olav, Sweden’s Order of the Seraphim, Denmark’s Order of the Elephant, and Britain’s Order of the Garter) displayed on cushions.
The procession was led by the Chief of the Court, Olav Heian-Engdal, who carried the Crown of Norway on a cushion. The crown dates to 1818. It was commissioned by King Carl III Johan of Norway (King Carl XIV Johan of Sweden) for his coronation in Trondheim. Made in Stockholm by the goldsmith Olof Wihlborg, it is decorated heavily with colorful gemstones, including an enormous green tourmaline, which was sourced from Brazil.
Norway’s monarchs are no longer crowned. The last monarch to actually wear the crown was the newly-elected King Haakon VII, the first monarch of modern independent Norway, in 1906. Since then, the crown has been carried and displayed at important moments as a symbol of the monarchy.
Following behind King Harald’s coffin were Norway’s two queens: Queen Mette-Marit and Queen Sonja. Queen Mette-Marit wore a three-row pearl bracelet with a pearl and diamond clasp during the procession. Queen Sonja wore a strand of pearls with pearl cluster earrings and a very special brooch. The Drapers’ Company Brooch, as it is known, was presented to King Harald’s grandmother, Queen Maud, as a wedding present by London’s Worshipful Company of Drapers in 1896.
Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, who walked beside her grandfather’s coffin during the procession, again wore her pearl drop earrings and a pearl ring.
Her aunt, Princess Märtha Louise, walked behind her. She too wore pearls for the procession.
Later today, the new King of Norway will be sworn in at the Storting, Norway’s parliament. King Haakon VIII will make an oath to the Constitution of Norway inside the Storting Hall at 1:00 PM Oslo time (or 7:00 AM eastern time for those who are, like me, in the US). It has been announced that Queen Mette-Marit, Queen Sonja, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, and Prince Sverre Magnus will all be present for the ceremony. Later, at the Royal Palace, the Crown Princess will also sign a written oath to the constitution.
For an idea of how the ceremony may look, I’ve included a video of King Harald’s own swearing-in ceremony from 1991. I’ll be back here with an article about today’s ceremony shortly after its conclusion. (Update: the article is now live.)
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