Details ready for King Harald's funeral

 

TT

 

Published 15.14Updated 15.47

         

        King Harald's coffin will be carried in procession from the palace along Karl Johans gate at the                  funeral on Wednesday. Photo: Ørn E Borgen/NTB/TT

There will be a long procession that will follow King Harald's coffin on foot from the palace to Oslo Cathedral. In addition to the royal family, foreign royalty and heads of state will be included in the funeral procession, which will begin at 12:00 on Wednesday.

However, the two queens Mette-Marit and Sonja will travel by car due to health and age, the Norwegian court announced.

A dense line of spectators is expected along the motorcade. When Norway's new King Haakon VIII took his oath in parliament earlier this week, Karl Johan was reportedly surrounded by 200,000 people.

At 1:00 p.m., the funeral service will begin in Oslo Cathedral, and the ceremony will be led by the highest representative of the Church of Norway, Olav Fykse Tveit, and will be broadcast live on both Norwegian and Swedish television.

At the beginning of the ceremony, a minute of silence will be held throughout the country, which will begin and end with the church bells ringing three times. Speaker of the Storting Masud Gharahkhani and Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre will deliver memorial speeches.

To rest in sarcophagus

After the funeral, the bier will be taken in procession to Akershus Castle Church, where a private ceremony will be held for the family, royal guests and other dignitaries.

The bier will then be lowered into the crypt in the castle church, where the two sarcophagi of King Haakon and Queen Maud, as well as King Olav and Crown Princess Märtha, are located.

After the ceremony in Akershus Castle Church, King Haakon and Queen Mette-Marit will come out to the courtyard of Akershus Fortress and the flags that have been flying at half-mast will be raised.

Visible on the castle balcony

In addition, a double royal salute will be fired while the country's church bells will ring for an hour.

The royal family will then travel back to the castle by the same route as the procession and will appear on the castle balcony.

A reception will then be held at the castle for family, visiting heads of state, royalty and representatives of official Norway.