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.
