King Harald V of Norway was buried on Wednesday in a private ceremony at the Royal Mausoleum inside Akershus Castle in Oslo, attended by Norwegian dignitaries and foreign guests including King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain.
The private ceremony, which followed the national funeral at Oslo Cathedral, lasted about an hour. Flags across the Norwegian capital, which had flown at half-mast since Harald died at 89 on August 28, were raised back to full staff to the sound of a royal salute of two rounds of 21 gunshots.
Also present were members of the Norwegian royal family, representatives of other European royal houses, and the presidents of Iceland and Finland, Halla Tomasdottir and Alexander Stubb.
Who was King Harald V
Harald V had reigned as King of Norway since 1991, when he succeeded his father, King Olav V. His death on August 28 at the age of 89 brought an end to one of Europe's longest royal reigns and triggered days of national mourning, including the funeral at Oslo Cathedral that preceded Wednesday's burial.
Procession from Oslo Cathedral
The coffin, draped in the royal flag and topped with an arrangement of white flowers, was carried in procession from Oslo Cathedral to the chapel of the fortress, which dates back to the 14th century.
The procession to the castle was led by the Armed Forces music band and members of the Royal Guard, dressed in ceremonial uniform with bayonets fixed to their rifles. Walking alone ahead of the off-road vehicle that carried the coffin on a specially adapted military trailer was Olav Fykse Tveit, the most senior official of the Church of Norway.
New King Haakon VIII leads the mourners
Directly behind the coffin walked Haakon VIII, in a small group of dignitaries that included Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, the president of parliament, Masud Gharahkhani, and the president of the Supreme Court, Toril Marie Oie.
Accompanying Haakon VIII as he bid farewell to his father were King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, on his right, and King Frederik X of Denmark, on his left.
Burial in a double sarcophagus
Inside the mausoleum, Harald V's coffin was placed in a sarcophagus in the royal crypt, where King Haakon VII and Queen Maud, and King Olav V and Princess Martha, the parents of the late monarch, also lie. The practice dates back to a tradition begun when Norway won independence from Sweden in 1905.
The double sarcophagus now holding Harald V's coffin was commissioned by the Norwegian government at a cost of 20 million kroner, around two million euros. It was built to also eventually house the coffin of Queen Sonja, Harald's widow, when she dies.
The design of the sarcophagus was commissioned in 2024 to the renowned architecture and interior design studio Snohetta, in line with the wishes of the royal couple. No further details have been released and it has not been photographed by the media.
Reception at Oslo City Hall
While the private burial took place, 450 guests attended a separate reception at Oslo City Hall held in memory of Harald V.
