2 min read
King Harald’s coffin was carried through the Royal Palace in Oslo on Monday in a solemn procession, marking a significant step in the ceremonies surrounding the late monarch’s death. The procession, filmed for the first time in Norwegian royal history and broadcast on television, moved the coffin from the Red Salon, where it had rested since Friday, to the Palace Chapel, where it will remain until the state funeral on Wednesday, September 9.
STIAN LYSBERG SOLUM//Getty Images
A view of the royal family carrying King Harald’s casket through the Hall of Mirrors of the Royal Palace.
JAVAD PARSA//Getty Images
Queen Mette-Marit and Queen Sonja could be seen holding hands during the procession.
Among those who carried the casket were Harald’s children, King Haakon and Princess Märtha Louise; his grandchildren, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Prince Sverre Magnus, Maud Behn, Leah Behn, and Emma Behn; and his step-grandson Marius Borg Høiby. Høiby’s presence is especially notable given he is currently on house arrest at Skaugum Estate, a royal property just outside of Oslo, following his conviction and sentencing in June and subsequent house arrest, and pending appeal. Høiby’s mother, Queen Mette-Marit, followed the procession with Harald’s wife, Queen Sonja. Palace employees were also seen lining the halls to form a guard of honor as the coffin passed.
The procession, known as a bier ceremony—referring to the stand or frame on which a coffin, casket, or body is placed during funeral services and processions—moved through a series of the palace’s grandest rooms, including the Yellow Salon, the Hall of Mirrors, and the Great Banquet Hall, before arriving at the chapel. As described by Norwegian broadcaster NRK, the coffin was draped in the royal flag and surrounded by family wreaths in the chapel, with the royal crown and national sword placed on top. The same procession was last carried out following the death of Harald’s father, King Olav V, in 1991.
JAVAD PARSA//Getty Images
A group of military officials were seen taking over carrying the casket.
The Palace Chapel will be open for public viewing beginning Tuesday, September 1, and daily through the following Tuesday before the state funeral on Wednesday. King Harald died on August 28 at age 89 after being hospitalized with hemolytic anemia and a subsequent bacterial blood infection. In the days following his death, thousands of Norwegians have gathered outside the Royal Palace to lay flowers and light candles in his memory.
Rachel King (she/her) is a news writer at Town & Country. Before joining T&C, she spent nearly a decade as an editor at Fortune. Her work covering travel and lifestyle has appeared in Forbes, Observer, Robb Report, Cruise Critic, and Cool Hunting, among others. Originally from San Francisco, she lives in New York with her wife, their daughter, and a precocious labradoodle. Follow her on Instagram at @rk.passport.