Norway’s Haakon greets Prince William as a King for the first time at his father’s funeral – after pair spent years together as heirs

King Haakon VIII met Prince William for the first time as Norway’s monarch after spending years together as heirs to their respective thrones.

The Prince of Wales attended Haakon’s father’s funeral at Oslo Cathedral on behalf of his own father King Charles on Wednesday, while his aunt, the Princess Royal, was there in a private and personal capacity as godmother to the new King.

King Haakon was Crown Prince of Norway for more than three decades before becoming King following the death of his father King Harald V on August 28 – who died aged 89 after a 35-year reign.

During which time, the 53-year-old monarch and Prince William, 44, regularly appeared together at major events, including European royal gatherings, state occasions and commemorations. 

This included the Prince and Princess of Wales‘s royal tour of Norway in February 2018, hosted by the then-Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit. 

The two royal couples met again in March 2023, when Prince William and Princess Catherine hosted the Norwegian royals at Windsor Castle.

Parallels have been drawn between the two young royals, both of whom have supported wives battling serious health issues while carrying out royal duties. 

In June, the Norwegian royal household announced the now Queen Mette-Marit, 53, had undergone a lung transplant. Norway’s new King said he would scale back and reorganise his official duties in order to support his wife

Prince William was welcomed by King Haakon during a reception at the Palace after the funeral of King Harald V on Wednesday

Prince William and Kate Middleton attended an official dinner at the Royal Palace in Oslo with then-Crown Prince Haakon and his wife Mette-Marit

The two royal couples met again at Windsor Castle in March 2023

The new Queen missed her husband’s swearing-in ceremony due to ‘complications’ from her recent lung transplant surgery.

This decision echoes a similar move in January 2024 when Prince William temporarily stepped back from public arrangements to support Kate during her treatment of an undisclosed form of cancer. The now 44-year-old Princess revealed she was in remission in January 2025.

Meanwhile, both Prince William and King Haakon have siblings who have severed ties with their respective families. 

King Haakon’s older sister, Princess Martha Louise of Norway, decided to step away from royal life a year after ‘Megxit’. In 2019, the Norwegian royal household said Martha Louise was no longer able to use her princess title in business endeavors. 

This was followed by the former princess’s decision in 2022 to step down from royal duties to dedicate time to commercial activities. Martha Louise had come under scrutiny over claims she exploited her royal title for financial gain, while she faced backlash over supposed clairvoyant activities. 

The flashpoint of which came in her 2024 marriage to American ‘shaman’ Durek Verrett, who promotes unverified medical beliefs. The couple went on to sell exclusive wedding rights to Hello! magazine. 

Like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the pair also starred in a Netflix documentary delving into their relationship titled Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story. 

The funeral took place in the same week King Charles made it absolutely clear that Prince Harry and Meghan will not be taking up royal duties in a letter to senior royal representatives. The decision comes despite the pair’s move back to the UK last month. 

Prince William and Princess Anne at the funeral of King Harald of Norway, walking behind Crown Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko of Japan 

Norway’s King Haakon, Queen Mette-Marit and Queen Sonja during the funeral ceremony for King Harald V

Marius Borg Hoiby arrives for the funeral of Norway’s King Harald V at Oslo Cathedral 

The late King Harald V was mourned on Wednesday by his 89-year-old widow, Queen Sonja, and son King Haakon with his wife, Queen Mette-Marit. The late King died due to a rare blood condition known as haemolytic anaemia.

They were joined by other royals from around the world, including King Felipe of Spain, Queen Rania of Jordan and Princess Charlene of Monaco. 

The coffin was taken from the palace to the cathedral in a procession of senior Norwegian royals including King Haakon, foreign guests and representatives from Norway’s and other parliaments.

King Haakon walked behind the coffin, draped with the red Norwegian royal standard, alongside his eldest child Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, now heir to the throne, his son Prince Sverre Magnus and his sister Princess Martha Louise.

The King’s stepson Marius Borg Hoiby, who is currently serving a four-year prison sentence under house arrest at his parents’ Skaugum Estate while he appeals his conviction for two counts of rape, was also in attendance.

He previously joined his relatives to carry the coffin of late King Harald from the Royal Palace to the palace chapel last week while temporarily released, sparking fierce backlash from royal fans.

The Bishop of Oslo Sunniva Gylver looked somewhat stern as she greeted Hoiby on the steps of the cathedral ahead of the service.

His mother Queen Mette-Marit and Harald’s widow Queen Sonja followed the coffin in a car.

Princess Martha Louise of Norway and her husband Durek Verrett during the funeral

The funeral ceremony for King Harald V in Oslo Cathedral

King Frederik and Queen Mary of Denmark and King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden also joined the procession.

Political leaders including Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Store, German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky were also in attendance.

The public lined the streets of the Norwegian capital in their thousands to bid a final farewell to Harald, who reigned for 35 years.

Scores of churches, libraries, cultural centres and city halls were also making big screens available for the public to watch the funeral, public broadcaster NRK reported.

A 21-gun salute rang out over the capital at the start of the funeral procession.

King Charles did not attend the event because under royal precedent the sovereign does not attend funerals of other heads of state, and so the duty fell to William.

He was seen offering words of comfort to King Haakon and Crown Princess Alexandra at a reception at the Royal Palace after the funeral service.

The Prince of Wales also represented his father at the funeral of Pope Francis in the Vatican in April last year.

King Charles paid tribute to his ‘dear cousin’ and ‘much-loved kinsman and friend’ after news of late King Harald´s death was announced.

In a statement released by Buckingham Palace, King Charles said the monarch served the people of Norway with ‘unwavering dedication’ and guided them through times of change with ‘warmth and humility’.

Queen Elizabeth II and King Harald were second cousins and shared the same great-grandparents, King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. William and the now Princess of Wales carried out an official tour to Norway in 2018.

The Norwegian royal house also has kinfolk in other European royal families. Harald and Haakon are related to both King Charles and Spain’s King Felipe, who are all descendants of Queen Victoria.

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