6 September 2026
Prince William will represent King Charles at the funeral of King Harald.
Prince William will attend King Harald’s funeral
The Prince of Wales will be joined by his aunt, Princess Anne, at the service for the late Norwegian king at Oslo Cathedral on Wednesday (09.09.26), following the monarch’s death at the age of 89 on 28 August.
William’s attendance is in keeping with the precedent that the sovereign does not attend funerals of other heads of state, while the Princess Royal will attend in a personal capacity because she is godmother of the new King Haakon.
The prince will make the trip to Norway in a day, between other planned public engagements and his eldest son, 13-year-old Prince George, starting at Eton College.
Following Harald’s death, Charles sent his “deepest and most heartfelt condolences” to the Norwegian royal family following the death of his “dear cousin”.
In a statement on behalf of himself and wife Queen Camilla, he said: “It is with the most profound sadness that my wife and I have learned of the death of my dear cousin, King Harald V of Norway.
“For thirty-five years, King Harald served his people with unwavering dedication, guiding Norway through times of great change with warmth and humility.
“As Norway mourns the loss of so towering a figure, my whole family join in remembering a much-loved kinsman and friend whose kindness, compassion and deep sense of duty echoed from across the sea and across the decades.
“The United Kingdom and Norway share particularly close historical and family ties, with Britain one of the first countries to recognise Norwegian independence and establish diplomatic relations in 1905.
“These special bonds were even further strengthened during the dreadful trials of the Second World War and helped to bind our two countries together.
“The Queen and I extend our deepest and most heartfelt condolences to Queen Sonja and all her family, as Britain shares in Norway’s grief at this time of such heartbreaking loss.”
Charles and Harald were second cousins, sharing the same great-grandparents in King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.
In April last year, William represented his father at Pope Francis’ funeral in the Vatican.
The 44-year-old royal and his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales, previously dined with Harald and his wife Queen Sonja at the Royal Palace during an official tour of Norway in 2018.