Prince William to attend King Harald's funeral in Norway
The Prince of Wales will represent the King at the funeral of Harald V in Oslo next week.
Prince William is set to attend the funeral of King Harald V of Norway in Oslo on Wednesday, Buckingham Palace has said.
Princess Anne will also be present in a personal capacity. She is godmother to Norway’s new monarch, King Haakon VIII.
King Harald, a widely admired and modernising ruler who spent 35 years on the Norwegian throne, died last month aged 89.
Royal sources said Prince William will represent his father, King Charles, at the funeral, in line with the convention that the monarch does not normally attend the funeral of another head of state.
A large turnout is expected for the farewell to King Harald on 9 September, with a funeral procession followed by a service at Oslo Cathedral.
Thousands have already queued to pay their respects to the late king while he lay in state in the chapel of the Royal Palace in the Norwegian capital.
Alongside Prince William at the funeral will be the widowed Queen Sonja, members of the Norwegian royal family including King Haakon VIII, and other European royals.
The service will be followed by a private burial at Norway’s royal mausoleum in Akershus Fortress.
Among the tributes to King Harald was an emotional televised message from his son King Haakon, who said: "Thank you for being such a good dad."
Harald was regarded as a down-to-earth "people's king" who helped modernise the monarchy, broke with tradition by marrying a commoner, and acted as a unifying figure.
His son said he embodied the values of a "society built on law and justice, where everyone is of equal value".
King Charles’s message praised his cousin King Harald for serving his people with "unwavering dedication, guiding Norway through times of great change with warmth and humility".
King Haakon is taking on his role at a difficult moment, with the Norwegian royal family facing scandals this year.
His wife, Queen Mette-Marit, came under scrutiny after it emerged that she had maintained a three-year friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, for which she publicly apologised.
Her son from a previous relationship, Marius Borg Høiby, was convicted in June of rape and other offences and sentenced to four years in prison. He is appealing.
While Prince William is in Norway, King Charles has returned to Scotland after meeting President Macron of France at the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition in London this week.
The King will host Andy Burnham at Balmoral this weekend, in the traditional annual visit of the prime minister to stay with the monarch.