King Harald V of Norway is sent off on his last journey

King Harald V of Norway, who reigned for 35 years, died in hospital on August 28 at the age of 89 after suffering a severe blood infection.

Harald's coffin, whose body was kept in the Palace Chapel for the last few days, was recently opened to the public.

At noon, the coffin will be taken to Oslo Cathedral accompanied by a cortege. The funeral ceremony will start at 13.00 local time.

After the ceremony, the cortege will move to the Royal Mausoleum in Akershus Castle and Harald will be buried there. A private church service will also be held at the end of the funeral.

Following Harald's death, his son Haakon succeeded directly to the Norwegian throne.

2.1 MILLION DOLLAR MYSTERY COFFIN

One of the most striking details of the funeral is the coffin in which King Harald will be buried, the design of which has not yet been made public.

It is stated that the cost of the coffin will exceed 2.1 million dollars.

In a speech he gave in October 2024, Harald humorously brought up the allocation of 20 million Norwegian kroner, approximately 2.17 million dollars, in the Norwegian state budget for the coffin in which he and his wife Queen Sonja will be buried together one day.

The king compared the coffin with the concept of 'sarcophagus', which was especially identified with funeral ceremonies in Ancient Egypt.

Harald's words about the coffin had wide repercussions in the country at that time.

"I hope the inside of the coffin will be well furnished and you can sleep comfortably. After all, we will stay there for a long time," said Harald, and also thanked the authorities for 'taking care of his life in the afterlife'.

FAMOUS COMPANY DESIGNED

The design of the new double coffin was prepared by the world-famous Norwegian architecture company Snøhetta.

In addition to the Oslo Opera House, the company also designed the headquarters of Le Monde newspaper in Paris.

The new coffin for Harald and Queen Sonja will be placed next to two other royal sarcophagi in the small royal mausoleum within the royal buildings in Oslo, which was opened in 1949.

In the white marble sarcophagus in the middle of the mausoleum is the first king of the current dynasty and Harald's grandfather, Henry VII. Haakon and his wife, Queen Maud, lie in bed.

The other sarcophagus, made of dark green bronze, contains Harald's parents, King Olav V and Crown Princess Märtha.

The royal mausoleum, which is normally opened to visitors as part of tours of royal buildings, is currently closed to visitors due to funeral preparations.