Prince William will represent Charles at Norway's late King Harald's funeral in the coming days

The Prince of Wales will represent his father at the funeral of Norway's late King Harald V.Harald - a cousin of King Charles III - died on August 28 aged 89 following a hospital admission in Oslo where he was treated for haemolytic anaemia, a disorder causing red blood cells to be destroyed at an abnormally fast rate. A statement released by the Norwegian Palace confirmed the late monarch, who ruled for 35 years, will be laid to rest on Wednesday, September 9 at Oslo Cathedral. The funeral service, to begin at 1pm, will be led by the president of the Church of Norway, Olav Fykse Tveit, with mourners including Harald's widow, Queen Sonja. On Saturday, Buckingham Palace confirmed Prince William, 44, will attend the funeral in place of his father, King Charles. As per state protocol, British monarchs do not attend the funerals of other heads of states - usually sending another member of the Royal family to represent them. The Prince of Wales previously represented Charles, 77, at the Vatican for the funeral of Pope Francis last April.He will be joined by his aunt, Anne, Princess Royal, 76, who will appear in a personal and private capacity as the godmother of Norway's new king, Haakon VIII, 53. The Prince of Wales will represent King Charles III at the funeral of Norway's late King Harald V on Wednesday in Oslo The Prince of Wales previously represented his father in the Vatican at the funeral of Pope Francis (Pictured: William arriving at the funeral of Pope Francis in April 2025) King Harald of Norway died aged 89 on August 28 after a brief stay in hospital Harald was succeeded by his son King Haakon VIII (Pictured: Haakon making his first official speech to the nation)Charles, who is currently being treated for an undisclosed form of cancer, released a statement last week mourning the loss of his 'dear cousin' King Harald. The pair were second cousins once removed, sharing great-great-grandparents Edward VII and Alexandra of Denmark.He said: 'As Norway mourns the loss of so towering a figure, my whole family join in remembering a much-loved kinsman and friend whose kindness, compassion and deep sense of duty echoed from across the sea and across the decades.'The Queen and I extend our deepest and most heartfelt condolences to Queen Sonja and all her family, as Britain shares in Norway's grief at this time of such heartbreaking loss.'It is expected world leaders and royalty from across the globe will appear at the funeral. Members of the Norwegian royal family, including Haakon, his wife Queen Mette-Marit, mother Queen Sonja, and children Crown Princess Ingrid and Prince Sverre will be in attendance. From the Danish Royal family, King Frederik, Queen Mary, Crown Prince Christian, Queen Margrethe and Princess Benedikte will appear at the ceremony.Harald was a second cousin of Queen Margrethe - making King Frederik the late monarch's second cousin once removed. Harald is pictured with his widow, queen dowager Sonja, and the late Queen Elizabeth II in London. King Charles recently extended his 'deepest and most heartfelt condolences' to the Norwegian Royal Family following the death of his 'dear cousin' Tributes to King Harald poured in from across Norway in the wake of his death (Pictured: Flowers and candle tributes to the late king at the Palace Square)King Philippe and his wife Queen Mathilde will represent Belgium, with Philippe being Harald's first cousin.In a statement, the Belgian Palace said: 'Their Majesties the King and the Queen will travel to Oslo to attend the funeral service and pay their last respects to the late King.Prince Albert of Monaco will also attend the service, but it is yet to be confirmed if his wife, Princess Charlene, will be joining him.The Spanish Royal family will be represented by King Felipe, Queen Letizia and Queen Sofia, while Japan will be represented by Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko.Following his father's passing, new king Haakon declared a period of national mourning in Norway which will cease on October 9 - one month after Harald is officially laid to rest. In the wake of Harald's death, thousands of mourners descended on Oslo to pay their respects to the late king, placing flowers, flags and condolence cards outside the Royal Palace.Flags were flying at half-mast throughout the country, and portraits of Harald in gala uniform were displayed everywhere, from metro stations to public buildings.Churches and city halls were also opened across Norway specially so people could light candles, and write their thoughts about the deceased king in condolence books. King Haakon pictured taking the Oath of Allegiance. His wife, Mette-Marit, missed the ceremony due to 'complications' from her lung transplant Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra sits next to her father during an oath-taking ceremony for the new king. Princess Ingrid is often dubbed the 'saving grace' of a monarchy in crisisKing Haakon - the youngest child of Harald and Sonja - shares two children with his wife Mette-Marit, 22-year-old Princess Ingrid Alexandra and 20-year-old Prince Sverre Magnus.Princess Ingrid is now the heir apparent to the throne, meaning she would be the first female monarch in Norway for more than 600 years if she were to become queen - the last being Queen Margaret I, who died in 1412.She recently stepped into a historic new role as heir to the Norwegian throne, joining her father as he formally took his Oath of Allegiance to Norway's Constitution before the Storting, the country's parliament, at the beginning of September.And while the King took his oath, Ingrid marked an important moment of her own, submitting a written declaration pledging to follow the Constitution and laws if she is ever required to rule in her father's place. The young royal is often dubbed the 'saving grace' of a monarchy in crisis - following her mother's links to Epstein and her half-brother being convicted of two counts of rape. In recent months, Mette-Marit, 53, has faced intense scrutiny following the release of the Epstein Files, which revealed she stayed at paedophile Jeffrey Epstein's Palm Beach residence in 2013 – after he was convicted for soliciting sex from girls as young as 14.The new queen claimed this year she had been misled by the late sex offender as she sought to contain the fallout.And, due to 'complications' from her lung transplant, Mette-Marit also missed her husband's swearing-in ceremony. In recent months,Norway's Queen Metter-Marit has faced intense scrutiny following the release of the Epstein Files In June, Mette-Marit's son, Marius Borg Høiby (pictured), was convicted on two counts of rape and jailed for four years She has suffered for several years from chronic pulmonary fibrosis; and earlier this week, the Norwegian Royal family shared a statement from her pulmonologist Dr Are Holm from Norway's National Hospital confirming her absence.He said: 'It is not uncommon for complications to occur after a lung transplant. The queen has had complications on some occasions since the operation, including today.'As a result, the queen must be observed throughout the day. The queen will therefore unfortunately not be able to attend the swearing-in ceremony in the Storting today.'Fresh scandal also came in June when Mette-Marit's son, Marius Borg Høiby, was convicted on two counts of rape and jailed for four years following a six-week trial that laid bare allegations of violence, drug abuse and sexual misconduct.An Oslo court also found him guilty of assaulting his former girlfriend, Nora Haukland, issuing threats and committing traffic offences, although he was acquitted of two other rape charges.The 29-year-old had been charged with sexually assaulting four women who were asleep or otherwise unable to resist between 2018 and 2024.The conviction marked a fall for Høiby, who grew up in the public eye after his mother married the then Crown Prince Haakon in 2001 when he was just four.Although he does not hold a royal title or carry out official duties, he has long been closely associated with the Norwegian Royal Family.King Haakon also faces additional drama with the upcoming arrival of a second reality TV show by King Harald and Queen Sonja's eldest daughter, Princess Martha Louise, and her 'shaman' husband, Durek Verrett.The couple's first Netflix show, Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story, took an 'intimate look' at the love story between Martha Louise and the Hollywood 'half-reptilian and bisexual' shaman.The film followed the couple as they 'navigated a swirl of controversy' and prepared for their wedding, which took place in the picturesque small town of Geiranger in 2024.In a move dubbed 'Norway's Megxit', Martha Louise relinquished her royal role in November 2022.Eyebrows were raised when the princess first began dating Verrett, who holds some controversial and pseudoscientific views, including that cancer in children can be caused by 'being unhappy'.The couple were introduced by friends in 2019 and have claimed to have known each other in a past life, specifically from ancient Egypt.Their latest reality TV venture adds to what has been - and what is continuing to be - one of the toughest periods for the Norwegian throne in modern times.