On the eve of the funeral of King Harald of Norway, his widow
has kept a lone vigil at his coffin.

With hours to go until the final farewell to Harald V gets under
way, Queen Sonja was seen standing by herself beside her husband’s
coffin as it lies in state at the chapel of Oslo’s Royal
Palace.

The Norwegian queen looked on solemnly as the message n her
wreath of white flowers was shown. It read, simply, ”thank you for
a wonderful life”, a simple message summing up almost seventy years
of love.

Sonja, 89, has made several tributes to her late husband since
his death on August 28. She helped bring his coffin home on its
final journey back to the Royal Palace in the hours after his death
and two days later, she attended a church service in his memory at
Asker.

Queen Sonja walked behind the coffin of her husband as it was
carried through the rooms of the Royal Palace to the chapel where
it lay in state.

It’s also been announced that, following the funeral of King
Harald, his widow will make an appearance on the palace
balcony.

Tens of thousands of Norwegians have come to lay flowers and
candles in memory of Harald in front of the palace since his death.
Now, after the funeral, his family will greet wellwishers from the
balcony.

King Haakon VIII, only son of Harald V and Sonja, will lead them
along with his wife, Queen Mette-Marit. Their children, Crown
Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus, will join them
along with Queen Sonja.

Harald and Snoja’s daughter, Princess Martha Louise, will also
attend with her three daughters, Maud, Leah and Emma.

The funeral of King Harald will be attended by royalty from
around the world. The Prince of Wales and Princess Anne are
attending, with William representing King Charles and the Princess
Royal there in a personal capacity as the godmther of the new king,
Haakon VIII.

King Cal XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia will be there with Crown
Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, Prince Carl Philip, Princess
Sofia, Princess Madeleine and her husband, Chris O’Neill, as well
as Princess Christina.

King Frederik and Queen Mary of Denmark will pay their respects
alongside their eldest child, Crown Prince Christian. Queen
Margrethe can’t attend now as she was taken to hospital after
feeling unwell at the weekend.

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands will
be there, along with heir to the throne, Catharina-Amalia, and
former monarch, Princess Beatrix. The King and Queen of the
Belgians, Philippe and Mathilde, will also attend.

Grand Duke Guillaume and Grand Duchess Stephanie of Luxembourg,
along with former ruler Grand Duke Henri, are attending as as
Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco.

King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain along with Queen Sofia
will also join the mourners.

King Haakon will lead the funeral procession from the Royal
Palace from 12 noon on September 9 with the service taking place at
Oslo Cathedral at 1pm local time. King Harald’s coffin will then be
carried to Akerhus fortress where he will be laid to rest in a
private ceremony in the Royal Mausoleum.

Harald’s family then returns home for a balcony appearance and
reception for guests.