Who attended King Harald’s funeral?

16 royal families were represented at King Harald’s funeral ceremonies. Who were they, and how were some closely related to the late King? 

King Harald’s state funeral on Wednesday afternoon marked one of the largest gatherings of royals in recent history. The world’s royalty gathered in Oslo to pay their respects and bid a final farewell to Norway’s late King, who reigned for 35 years.

The royal court released a full guest list the morning of the ceremonies, which included those who took part in the procession to Oslo Cathedral. We take a look at who attended and how some of their familial ties brought them to Oslo yesterday afternoon.

• Belgium

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde represented the Kingdom of Belgium. The King is related to King Harald as his first cousin once removed. This stems from Princess Astrid, who was one of the children of Harald’s grandparents, Prince Carl and Princess Ingeborg, who married the King of the Belgians, Leopold III. Sadly, Queen Astrid died in a car accident in August 1935. Her son, Prince Albert, later became King after her eldest son, King Baudouin, died in 1993. King Albert II is the father of King Philippe, making Philippe and the late Harald first cousins once removed.

• Bulgaria

Prince Kyril of Bulgaria was present. The Prince’s wife, Rosario Nadal, Princess of Preslav, also attended. Prince Kyril and the late King Harald were fifth cousins. The Princess is Prince Sverre Magnus’s godmother.

• Denmark

Photo: Screenshot/Fair Use

King Frederik X and Queen Mary, with Crown Prince Christian, Princess Benedikte, and Princess Alexandra, represented the Kingdom of Denmark. The King is a second cousin once removed of the late King Harald. The two share a common ancestor in King Frederik VIII, whose son was the famous King Christian X, who refused to leave Copenhagen during the Nazi invasion. King Harald was particularly close to King Frederik’s mother, Queen Margrethe — the former Queen of Denmark was forced to cancel her attendance at King Harald’s funeral after being hospitalised due to another case of blood clotting in the legs.

• Greece

Crown Prince Pavlos joined Queen Anne-Marie in representing the former Greek House. Queen Anne-Marie (née Princess of Denmark) and the late King Harald were second cousins, sharing a relation in King Frederik VIII of Denmark.

• Japan

Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Akishino represented the Imperial Family and the State of Japan.

• Jordan

Photo: Royal Hashemite Court

King Abdullah II and Queen Rania represented the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. They share no familial connection, but the Norwegian Royal House and the Jordanian Royal Family have close ties.

• Liechtenstein

Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie represented Prince Hans-Adam II as well as the Principality of Liechtenstein. Prince Hans-Adam — Europe’s eldest reigning monarch — and the late King Harald were fourth cousins once removed. Their shared lineage traces back to King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria.

• Luxembourg

Grand Duke Henri accompanied Grand Duke Guillaume and Grand Duchess Stéphanie in representing the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Guillaume and the late King Harald were first cousins twice removed, sharing familial relations with both Prince Carl and Princess Ingeborg of Sweden. Prince Carl was King Harald’s grandfather, while Princess Ingeborg was Grand Duke Guillaume’s great-great-grandmother.

• Monaco

Photo: Torbjørn Kjosvold / Forsvaret

Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene represented the Principality of Monaco. Prince Albert and the late King Harald are seventh cousins. Their distant lineage traces to the shared ancestor Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt.

• Netherlands

Photo: Torbjørn Kjosvold / Forsvaret

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima were accompanied by the Princess of Orange and Princess Beatrix. King Willem-Alexander and the late King Harald were third cousins once removed. This is because King Willem-Alexander’s fourth-great-grandmother, Princess Helen of Waldeck and Pyrmont, was a daughter of Wilhelm, Duke of Nassau, whose other daughter, Sophia, would later become Queen of Sweden and Norway.

• Saudi Arabia

نيابة عن #خادم_الحرمين_الشريفين وسمو #ولي_العهد..
سمو الأمير تركي بن محمد بن فهد يشارك في مراسم تشييع الملك هارالد الخامس ملك النرويج.https://t.co/WfjuVRs1iv#واس pic.twitter.com/AsGXU3dXHV

— واس الأخبار الملكية (@spagov) September 9, 2026

Prince Turki bin Muhammad Al Saud represented the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on behalf of King Salman.

• Spain

Photo: Torbjørn Kjosvold / Forsvaret

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia were accompanied by Queen Sofia in representing the Kingdom of Spain. King Felipe and the late King Harald were fourth cousins once removed. Their shared ties trace back to Frederick William, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg. Of his four children, his eldest son was Wilhelm, Duke of Nassau, who fathered Queen Sophia of Sweden and Norway, King Harald’s great-grandmother. Another child of Prince Frederick William was Princess Henrietta, who is the fourth-great-grandmother of King Felipe. This connection is what makes Felipe and the late Harald distant cousins.

• Serbia (Yugoslavia)

Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia represented the former Yugoslav House. Crown Prince Alexander and the late King Harald were third cousins once removed. The two share a common ancestor in Queen Victoria.

• Sweden

Photo: Torbjørn Kjosvold / Forsvaret

Photo: Torbjørn Kjosvold / Forsvaret

Photo: Torbjørn Kjosvold / Forsvaret

The Kingdom of Sweden sent the largest delegation of royals to yesterday’s funeral ceremonies. King Carl XVI Gustaf with Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria with Prince Daniel, Prince Carl Philip with Princess Sofia, Princess Madeleine with Mr Chris O’Neill, and Princess Christina with Mr Tord Magnuson were all in attendance to support the Norwegian royals. King Carl Gustaf and the late King Harald were second cousins once removed, with ties being traced back to King Oscar II and Queen Sophia of Sweden’s children. One was King Gustaf V, who is the great-grandfather of King Carl XVI Gustaf, while King Harald’s grandfather, Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland, was another son of King Oscar II.

• United Arab Emirates

Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan represented the United Arab Emirates on behalf of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE.

• United Kingdom

Photo: Torbjørn Kjosvold / Forsvaret

The Prince of Wales represented King Charles III and the United Kingdom while Buckingham Palace noted that the Princess Royal attended in a “private and personal capacity.” Princess Anne is King Haakon’s godmother. King Charles III and the late King Harald were second cousins once removed. Their lineage traces back to King Edward VII’s third daughter and youngest child, Princess Maud, who married Prince Carl of Sweden and later became King Haakon VII after the country invited him to take the throne following the dissolution of the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway.

• Vatican City

Photo: Torbjørn Kjosvold / Forsvaret

Cardinal Christophe Pierre and Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Julio Murat represented His Holiness Pope Leo XIV.