European royals have touched down in the Norwegian capital ahead of King Harald V of Norway’s funeral service. On the eve of the late monarch’s state funeral, various foreign royals were pictured arriving at the luxurious Grand Hotel in Oslo.
Spain’s King Felipe and seemingly Queen Letizia were pictured on a bus after landing at Oslo Airport on September 8. The Spanish King, dressed in a gray suit with a duffle bag in hand, was filmed waving at cameras as he entered his hotel.
Luxembourg’s former Grand Duke, Henri, and Princess Alexia of Greece and her husband Carlos Morales Quintana were also seen disembarking a bus on Tuesday at the same hotel as Felipe. Meanwhile, Japan’s Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko arrived at the hotel in a Mercedes-Benz sedan.
According to TV 2, several royals took a bus together to the Palace on Tuesday, including Felipe, Letizia, Henri, the Serbian Crown Prince Couple, Prince Alois of Liechtenstein, Princess Alexia and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece.
While the outlet noted that it’s not yet known why the royals are at the palace tonight, TV 2’s royal expert Ole-Jørgen Schulsrud-Hansen pointed out that it’s not unusual for a reception to be held for royal guests the day before a funeral. King Charles and Queen Camilla hosted a reception for heads of state and official overseas guests at Buckingham Palace the day before Queen Elizabeth‘s state funeral in 2022.
© Stian Lysberg Solum / NTBThe Netherlands’ King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima, Princess Beatrix and Princess Catharina-Amalia, as well as Prince William, Princess Anne, Denmark’s King Frederik, Queen Mary, Crown Prince Christian, Princess Benedikte, and Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Carl Philip, Princess Sofia, Princess Madeleine and Princess Christina will be among the guests at Wednesday’s funeral service.
The state funeral is taking place at Oslo Cathedral on September 9. The late King’s coffin will leave the palace at noon and be carried in a procession to the cathedral, where the service will begin at 1 p.m. local time.
Following the funeral, Harald’s coffin will be carried in procession to the Palace Chapel at Akershus Fortress. There, family will be joined by members of other royal families for a private ceremony, before Harald’s coffin is lowered into the chapel’s crypt, where the sarcophagi of King Haakon, Queen Maud, King Olav and Crown Princess Märtha are also located.
After returning to the palace, Norway’s new King Haakon and Queen Mette-Marit will host a reception, with visiting royals in attendance.
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