There was a poignant moment at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in 2022 which showed just how close the British and Norwegian Royal Families have been for generations.
King Harald V of Norway stood among the foreign royals gathered at Westminster Abbey as the congregation rose for the British national anthem.
As the words of “God Save the King” rang through the Abbey, Harald did something that caught the attention of royal watchers around the world.
He sang.
While many of the foreign royals stood respectfully in silence, Norway’s King was visibly joining in with the anthem being sung for Britain’s new monarch, King Charles III.
The moment was a warm and personal welcome for Charles as he began his reign following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
Today, following the death of King Harald at the age of 89, that moment carries a poignancy of its own.
Harald is no longer here to welcome the British King with that gesture of friendship and family connection. Instead, Charles is now mourning the loss of his “dear cousin” and has described the Norwegian monarch as a “much-loved kinsman and friend.”
In his message following Harald’s death, King Charles remembered his cousin’s 35 years of service to Norway and spoke of his “kindness, compassion and deep sense of duty”.
The connection between the two monarchs was about far more than royal protocol.
King Harald and Queen Elizabeth II were second cousins. Harald’s grandmother was Queen Maud, the daughter of King Edward VII and sister of King George V.
The Norwegian and British Royal Families have also shared a remarkable history of friendship and support.
During the Second World War, Harald’s grandfather, King Haakon VII, and his father, then Crown Prince Olav, led the Norwegian resistance from Britain after Norway was occupied by Nazi Germany.
King George VI welcomed the Norwegian Royal Family to Britain, where they remained in exile during the war.
The bond between the two families continued long after the war ended.
Queen Elizabeth II maintained a particularly close relationship with Norway’s Royal Family, while King Harald and Queen Sonja were regular guests at major British royal occasions.
There was also a charming personal connection between Harald’s family and the man who became King Charles III.
King Haakon VII was one of Charles’s godparents. He was affectionately known within the British Royal Family as “Uncle Charles”, having been born Prince Carl of Denmark before becoming King of Norway.
Queen Elizabeth later named her firstborn son Charles after her beloved uncle.
So when Harald stood in Westminster Abbey in September 2022 and sang “God Save the King”, there was more to the moment than a monarch paying respect to another monarch.
It was the grandson of Charles’s godfather welcoming his godson’s grandson to the throne.
Harald had watched Charles become King and offered his support in one of the most important moments of his life.
Now, just four years later, Charles has paid tribute to the Norwegian King following his death.
“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,” Charles said.
He described Harald as a monarch who served his people with “unwavering dedication” and guided Norway through decades of change “with warmth and humility”.
The King concluded his tribute by sending his “deepest and most heartfelt condolences” to Queen Sonja and the whole Norwegian Royal Family.
