Norway Mourns King Harald V With Candles and Flowers
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Norwegians gathered outside the Royal Palace in Oslo on Saturday to pay their respects to King Harald V, whose coffin was lying in state following more than three decades on the throne.اضافة اعلان
Harald, Europe’s oldest reigning monarch, died on Friday at the age of 89. The Norwegian Royal Palace had announced earlier in the week that his health had deteriorated.
Late Friday, crowds gathered in the streets of Oslo despite heavy rain to watch the procession carrying the king’s coffin from Oslo University Hospital, where he died, to the Royal Palace.
Many mourners remembered Harald for his lifelong calls for tolerance, unity and solidarity. Members of the public are expected to be allowed later to pay their final respects to the king’s coffin inside the Royal Chapel.
As part of the funeral arrangements, the coffin has been placed on a platform covered in purple cloth and adorned with a wreath and royal regalia, including the crown, sword, scepter and orb. The date of the funeral has not yet been announced.
Flags were lowered to half-mast across the country, while images of the late king in his ceremonial uniform appeared widely at bus and metro stations, shops, offices and public buildings.
While preparations were underway to bid farewell to the late monarch, the country also began preparations for a new reign. Harald’s 53-year-old son became King of Norway immediately following his father’s death and is set to reign as King Haakon VIII.
King Haakon is expected to deliver a televised address to the nation and swear an oath before Parliament on Tuesday, pledging to uphold Norway’s Constitution and laws.
Harald ascended the Norwegian throne in January 1991, succeeding his father, King Olav V. His reign oversaw broad reforms and modernization of the monarchy, alongside a period of major economic expansion and unprecedented prosperity driven in part by the restructuring of Norway’s oil and gas sectors.
Despite health challenges in recent years, Harald remained committed to his position and rejected the option of abdicating, in keeping with Norway’s royal traditions.
Source: Al Jazeera
Harald, Europe’s oldest reigning monarch, died on Friday at the age of 89. The Norwegian Royal Palace had announced earlier in the week that his health had deteriorated.
Late Friday, crowds gathered in the streets of Oslo despite heavy rain to watch the procession carrying the king’s coffin from Oslo University Hospital, where he died, to the Royal Palace.
Many mourners remembered Harald for his lifelong calls for tolerance, unity and solidarity. Members of the public are expected to be allowed later to pay their final respects to the king’s coffin inside the Royal Chapel.
As part of the funeral arrangements, the coffin has been placed on a platform covered in purple cloth and adorned with a wreath and royal regalia, including the crown, sword, scepter and orb. The date of the funeral has not yet been announced.
Flags were lowered to half-mast across the country, while images of the late king in his ceremonial uniform appeared widely at bus and metro stations, shops, offices and public buildings.
While preparations were underway to bid farewell to the late monarch, the country also began preparations for a new reign. Harald’s 53-year-old son became King of Norway immediately following his father’s death and is set to reign as King Haakon VIII.
King Haakon is expected to deliver a televised address to the nation and swear an oath before Parliament on Tuesday, pledging to uphold Norway’s Constitution and laws.
Harald ascended the Norwegian throne in January 1991, succeeding his father, King Olav V. His reign oversaw broad reforms and modernization of the monarchy, alongside a period of major economic expansion and unprecedented prosperity driven in part by the restructuring of Norway’s oil and gas sectors.
Despite health challenges in recent years, Harald remained committed to his position and rejected the option of abdicating, in keeping with Norway’s royal traditions.
Source: Al Jazeera
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