Norway bid farewell to King Harald V on Wednesday, as crowds lined the streets of Oslo and foreign royals and world leaders gathered for the funeral of the long-serving monarch.
A 21-gun salute rang out over the Norwegian capital as the funeral procession made its way from the Royal Palace to Oslo Cathedral.
Harald’s son, the new King Haakon VIII, and other senior royals walked behind the coffin, which was draped in the red Norwegian royal standard. Harald’s widow, Queen Sonja, and Haakon’s wife, Queen Mette-Marit, followed by car.
Norwegian officials and foreign dignitaries joined the procession, including the monarchs of Sweden, Denmark, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Monaco and Jordan.
Britain’s Prince William and Japan’s Crown Prince Akishino were also present, alongside political leaders from more than 20 countries, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
High security
At the end of the religious service, four F-35 fighter jets flew over the cathedral in a "missing man" formation, as the casket was taken to the Akershus Castle chapel.
There it will be lowered into the crypt of the royal mausoleum, next to Harald's parents and grandparents.
He will be laid to rest in a $2 million (€1.7 million) sarcophagus whose design remains secret.
Once the burial is completed, flags across the country, which were lowered to half-mast after Harald's death, will once again be raised and church bells will ring for an hour.
Norway's police force has mobilised nearly 3,000 officers in what it has described as "one of the biggest operations" in its history.
Some 3,500 soldiers have also been deployed, while exceptional airspace restrictions have been imposed over much of the eastern part of the country.
Until his death, Harald, who ascended the throne in 1991, was the oldest reigning monarch in Europe.
Despite mounting health issues in his later years, he had always ruled out abdicating and was extremely popular among Norwegians.
Embodying an open and tolerant Norway, he made a deep impression by celebrating diversity in a 2016 speech marking the 25th anniversary of his reign.
"Norwegians are girls who love girls, boys who love boys, and girls and boys who love each other," he said, adding: "Norwegians believe in God, Allah, the Universe and nothing."
Reinvigorated monarchy
Thousands of Norwegians filed past the king's casket in the past week, some waiting in line for hours.
The square in front of the palace has been covered with flowers, drawings and candles.
"He was the grandfather of the nation," said Gunn Johnsen, 81, speaking to the AFP news agency on Tuesday, explaining that she took an hour-long train ride to pay her last respects.
"Generous, inclusive, kind," added her friend Vigdis Simonsen, 64.
Near the University of Oslo, a large billboard displayed a photo of a smiling Harald with the inscription "Thank you for everything."
Almost 72% of Norwegians said they support the monarchy, up by eight percentage points from a previous survey in May, in an opinion poll conducted after the king's death and published last week.
Support had dropped to its lowest level in February, when 60% said they were in favour of maintaining the monarchy while 27% were not.
At the time, the royal family was embroiled in a series of scandals that damaged its image.
Mette-Marit in particular was under heavy criticism for her past ties to the late convicted American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and her son's legal troubles.
While Haakon VIII, 53, is very popular, opinions on the new queen remain deeply divided.
