Oslo bids farewell to King Harald V, 224,000 people along the procession
On September 9, Norway held the state funeral of the sovereign who died on August 28 at 89 years old: a national minute of silence at 1pm, a half-hour procession to the cathedral, monarchs and heads of government in the cathedral. Among those present was Zelensky, whose plane was reportedly grazed by a drone while taking off from Moldova.
King Harald V of Norway died on August 28, 2026 at 89 years old. The state funeral took place in Oslo on Wednesday, September 9, and had its collective moment at 1pm, with a minute of silence observed throughout the country. Public broadcaster Nrk estimated around 224,000 people present along the streets of the capital’s center, a figure reported by ANSA and Tgcom24.
The procession departed from the Royal Palace toward Oslo Cathedral and lasted around half an hour, opened by twenty-one cannon shots. Behind the coffin, wrapped in the royal standard, walked the son, the new king Haakon VIII; Queen Sonja and Queen Mette-Marit followed by car. Images of the ceremony were also released by the LaPresse agency.
Who was there
Seated in the cathedral were the sovereigns of Sweden, Denmark, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium and Jordan. The United Kingdom was represented by Prince William and Princess Anne; photographic coverage of the event was also carried by the People report relayed by AOL. Italy was represented by Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti.
The composition of the Italian delegation is telling in itself: at a state funeral that brought together six European and Middle Eastern royal houses, Rome sent the head of its economic ministry. Among the heads of state and government present was also Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, whose attendance drew more attention from international press reviews than the ceremony itself.
The journey to Oslo
According to reports on September 10 from the Today press review and the international bulletin from the Turkish agency Anadolu, Zelensky’s plane was “nearly hit” by a drone during takeoff from Moldova, while heading precisely to Oslo for the funeral.
Caution is required regarding this episode. The two available sources are both press reviews reporting the news, not original accounts: nothing in the material gathered shows any communication from Moldovan, Ukrainian or Norwegian authorities confirming the event, nor a description of how it unfolded, the time, or the distance involved. The newspaper records the circulation of the news and states its degree of verification, which at present is low.
What we don’t know
We don’t know how the estimate of 224,000 people was calculated: the figure is attributed to Nrk and does not appear to be accompanied by a public methodology. We don’t know if and when Moldovan, Ukrainian or Norwegian authorities will provide an official version of the episode attributed to the presidential flight, nor what response, if any, came from air defense.
The certain fact of the day is institutional: Norway has a new sovereign, Haakon VIII, and the succession took place before six monarchies and a portion of European diplomacy gathered in a single building.
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