King Harald of Norway, who passed away last Friday at the age of 89, will receive his final farewell on September 9 in a funeral that will be held at the cathedral of Oslo, the capital of the country. After the religious ceremony, his remains will be taken to the crypt of Akershus Castle, where they will be deposited.
The funeral procession will be presided over by the president of the Norwegian Church, Olav Fykse Tveit, and will include the participation of the bishop of Oslo, Sunniva Gylver, according to the Norwegian newspaper "VG". The same outlet specifies that, on that day, the entire country will observe a minute of silence in memory of the monarch starting at 1:00 PM (local time), just before the main event begins.
The official program anticipates that the day will start with a private moment in the chapel of the Royal Palace. Following that, the main door of the building will be opened and a 21-gun salute will be fired from Akershus Castle in tribute to the deceased sovereign.
Subsequently, the king's coffin will be carried in procession to the cathedral of Oslo, accompanied by his closest family members and representatives of Norwegian public institutions.
After the liturgy at the cathedral, a new procession will be organized to Akershus Castle, where a second private event will be held reserved for the royal family, members of other European royal houses, and certain Norwegian authorities.
In the final phase of the ceremony, King Harald will be interred in the crypt of the castle. At that moment, the flags that are flying at half-mast throughout the country will be raised to the top again, while the royal vessel "Norge" will sound its whistle as a signal that the former monarch has definitively said goodbye to the Norwegian people.