World news | The Guardian
· collected 2026-09-06 · by Press Association
Prince William will represent his father, King Charles, at the funeral of Norway's King Harald V on September 9 at Oslo Cathedral. The late monarch died on August 28 at age 89 after a 35-year reign that was marked by modernization efforts. Prince William and his aunt, the Princess Royal, are set to attend the service, with the latter attending in her capacity as godmother of King Haakon VIII. This marks the second time William has represented his father at a foreign funeral, following his attendance at Pope Francis' funeral in April 2022.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Prince William will represent King Charles at the funeral of Norway's King Harald V, who died on August 28 at the age of 89 after a 35-year reign. The funeral will take place on September 9 at Oslo Cathedral, where William and his aunt Princess Anne will attend in their capacity as representatives of King Charles and the British royal family. Princess Anne is attending privately as the godmother of Norway's new king, Haakon VIII. This follows longstanding royal protocol, which dictates that reigning monarchs do not attend the funerals of fellow heads of state. William has previously taken on similar duties, representing his father at the funeral of Pope Francis in April last year. King Charles paid a tribute to Harald after his death, describing him as a "dear cousin" and "much-loved kinsman and friend".
Written for “Prince William Attends Funeral” on 2026-09-07,
grounded in this article and the 4 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 5525 · logged 2026-09-06
The Prince of Wales is to represent his father at the funeral of King Harald V of Norway next week, Buckingham Palace has announced.
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Palace → represent → Norway
William, the heir to the throne, will be joined by his aunt the Princess Royal, who is attending in a private and personal capacity as godmother of the new king, Haakon VIII.
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who → join → king
Norway has seen an outpouring of grief for the much-loved late monarch, who died on 28 August at the age of 89.
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who → see → 89
Harald has been hailed as an inclusive “people’s king” who modernised the Norwegian monarchy during his 35-year reign.
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who → hail → reign
His funeral will take place on 9 September at Oslo Cathedral, with mourners including his widow, Sonja, now the queen mother.
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mourners → take → widow
In keeping with precedent that the sovereign does not attend funerals of other heads of state, the duty falls to William, a future king, to represent his father and pay his respects at the service.
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duty → keep → service
Charles paid a touching tribute to his “dear cousin” and “much-loved kinsman and friend” after the news of Harald’s death was announced.
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news → pay → death
In a message of condolence, he praised Harald’s “unwavering dedication” and his “kindness, compassion and deep sense of duty echoed from across the sea and across the decades”.
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kindness → praise → decades
They shared the same great-grandparents, King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.
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They → share → grandparents
In April last year, William represented his father at the funeral of Pope Francis in the Vatican.
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William → represent → Vatican
William and the now Princess of Wales carried out an official tour to Norway in 2018, dining with King Harald and Queen Sonja at the Royal Palace, where Harald described them as “family” and praised their support of the then Queen.
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Harald → carry → Queen
The Norwegian sovereign processed into the banquet arm in arm with the pregnant Catherine, who was expecting Prince Louis and wearing a flowing Alexander McQueen gown, with the gesture mirrored by Sonja and William who walked behind them.
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who → process → them
William and Kate also spent time visiting the ski slopes with the then Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit, now the King and Queen.
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William → spend → Haakon
