Prince William will represent King Charles at King Harald V's funeral in Oslo

Royal representation in Oslo

Prince William will travel to Norway to represent his father, King Charles III, at the funeral of King Harald V on 9 September 2026. The announcement from Buckingham Palace confirms that the Prince of Wales will attend the formal service at Oslo Cathedral on behalf of the British crown. He will be accompanied by the Princess Royal, Princess Anne, who is attending the ceremonies in a personal capacity as the godmother to Norway's new monarch, King Haakon VIII. Norway entered nationwide mourning after King Harald died on 28 August at the age of 89. His 53-year-old son immediately succeeded him to the throne as King Haakon VIII alongside Queen Mette-Marit, while King Harald's widow, Queen Sonja, will lead the congregation of family mourners in Oslo.

Sovereign protocol and precedent

The decision for King Charles to remain in the United Kingdom follows centuries of British royal convention. Under standard diplomatic protocol, reigning British monarchs do not attend the funerals of foreign heads of state, choosing instead to dispatch senior members of the royal family to act on their behalf. King Charles, who is 77 years old and receiving treatment for cancer, maintains an active schedule of domestic and state duties. Prince William previously fulfilled this representative duty in April 2025 at the Vatican, where he stood in for King Charles at the funeral of Pope Francis, who passed away at the age of 88 following a bout of pneumonia.

Tributes to Norway's monarch

King Harald led Norway for 35 years, earning widespread domestic recognition as an inclusive leader often called the people's king due to his warmth, humour, and informal public manner. Following the announcement of his death, King Charles paid tribute to his second cousin, describing him as a much-loved kinsman and friend. Both monarchs shared descent from King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, a lineage that also made Harald a second cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth II. In an official message of condolence to the Norwegian royal family, King Charles commended Harald's unwavering dedication to public service.

His kindness, compassion and deep sense of duty echoed from across the sea and across the decades.

Diplomatic ties and royal history

The delegation to Oslo marks a continuation of close bilateral relations between the two royal households. During an official royal tour of Norway in 2018, Prince William and Catherine, then the Duchess of Cambridge, were hosted at the Royal Palace by King Harald and Queen Sonja. At a formal palace banquet, King Harald praised the British visitors as family and acknowledged their support for Queen Elizabeth II. The visit saw King Harald escort Catherine, then pregnant with Prince Louis and dressed in an Alexander McQueen gown, into the dining hall while Queen Sonja walked alongside Prince William. The royal tour concluded with outdoor events on local ski slopes alongside the then-Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit.