Norway came to a standstill on Wednesday as the nation bid a final farewell to King Harald V, the long-reigning monarch who passed away at 89. A solemn funeral procession moved through the streets of Oslo, with the King’s casket draped in the national flag, followed by members of the royal family and international dignitaries, including Prince William and President Volodymyr Zelensky. Thousands of citizens lined the route to pay their respects to a leader widely regarded as the "grandfather of the nation," a sentiment echoed by the thousands who had previously waited for hours to file past his casket in the days leading up to the ceremony.

Despite the controversies that touched the edges of the royal household in recent years, King Harald remained a deeply unifying and popular figure until the very end. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store praised the late monarch for his down-to-earth nature and his commitment to an inclusive, multicultural Norway, famously remembered for his 2016 speech championing diversity. As the King is laid to rest in the royal mausoleum at Akershus Castle, the nation looks toward a new era under King Haakon VIII. While the monarchy faced recent public scrutiny, the heartfelt national outpouring of grief reflects the enduring respect Harald earned throughout his 33-year reign.