Princess Anne will be among the mourners at the funeral of King
Harald of Norway this week and for a very important reason.
While the Prince of Wales is representing King Charles at the
solemn ceremony in Oslo, the Princess Royal will be heading there
in a personal capacity.
Anne is going to support her godson, Harald’s son, who became
King Haakon VIII of Norway on the death of his father.
The Princess Royal stood sponsor to King Haakon at his baptism
in 1973. Her inclusion in the list of godparents underlined the
close links between the Royal Family and their Norewgian
cousins.
King Harald’s father, King Olav, was a close friend of Queen
Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. His bond with King George VI,
Elizabeth II’s father, was cemented during World War II when Olav
and his father, King Haakon VII, lived in London after the Nazi
occupation of Norway. King Harald went to the US with his mother
and two sisters.
In fact, the tie between the two families are so strong that
when Elizabeth II had her first child in 1948 she named him after
King Haakon VII of Norway. King Haakon VII had been born Prince
Carl of Denmark and was known to his family in London as ‘Uncle
Charlie’.
King Charles paid a moving tribute to his ‘dear cousin Harald’
when the 89 year old king died on August 28. Charles III praised
Harald’s service and devotion to duty in a touching message.
As is usual, the Monarch will be represented at the funeral of
his fellow Sovereign by the heir to the throne. This has been the
practice since the reign of King Edward II with Charles himself
carrying out the duty for Elizabeth II many times in her long
reign.
Prince William will travel to Oslo for the ceremony on September
9 which takes place at Oslo Cathedral.
It’s also the first day of the new term at Eton, Prince George’s
new school, although it is likely that new pupils like the prince
will arrivce in the days before. George is also just 20 minutes
away from his family home at Forest Lodge on the Windsor Estate.
With Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, 8, returning to
Lambrook for the new term there, it’s unlikely that the Princess of
Wales will be at the funeral in Oslo.
King Carl XV Gustaf and Queen Silvia, who were very close to
King Harald, will be there along with the heir to the Swedish
throne, Crown Princess Victoria. King Frederik X of Denmark will
attend with Queen Mary and Crown Prince Christian, 20. Frederik’s
other, Queen Margrethe, will also be present – she shared a long
friendship with King Harald and his wife, Queen Sonja.
King Haakon will lead the Norwegian royal family at the funeral.
His wife, Queen Mette-Marit, will also be there – last week, she
had to miss King Haakon’s formal swearing in at the Norwegian
parliament after complications following her lung transplant which
took place earlier this summer.
Queen Mette-Marit’s son, Marius Borg Hoiby, will also attend. He
is currently serving a four year prison sentence under house arrest
after being convicted of a number of offences including two counts
of rape.
King Harald’s coffin is currently lying in state in the Royal
Palace in Oslo. Tributes continue to be paid to the man who ruled
Norway for 35 years and who remained hugely popular throughout his
reign.