King Harald funeral LIVE: Prince William walks behind coffin with international royals in solemn procession

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As we're waiting for the funeral to begin, why not take a look back at some of our personal memories of the late King Harald?

HELLO!’s features contributor Sally Morgan reflects on the late King of Norway - a trailblazing monarch who fought nine years for his own true love, welcomed an unconventional son-in-law, and proved why he was truly the King of our hearts. 

Sally attended the wedding of Princess Martha Louise and Durek Verrett on 31 August 2024 for a HELLO! and HOLA! world exclusive. 

She describes the "contagious happiness" from the royals and the "warmth" from the late King. 

Sally writes: "I'm sure, like me, that everyone will remember him for being a bit of a mover and shaker.

"Leading the occasion with love, it felt as if he was the King of our hearts that day – but looking back on his life, I realised he had already that long before."

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Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived for the funeral. He was seen in a black cab before arriving at the palace at 11.30 Norwegian time. 

He wrote on X on Tuesday: "We have important engagements ahead. Tomorrow, on behalf of all our people, we will express our gratitude to Norway at the farewell ceremony for His Majesty King Harald V.

"Today, I will also meet with Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. We will discuss continued support for Ukraine. 

"The main issue is strengthening air defense and assistance in other areas that are important for getting through the winter. 

"Naturally, Jonas and I will also meet with the companies developing the FREYJA anti-ballistic system. Thank you to everyone who is helping Ukraine."

You can keep fully up to date today with our livestream of King Harald's funeral. 

Norway is bidding farewell to the late monarch, who died on 28 August at the age of 89. 

The state funeral takes place at Oslo Cathedral from 1pm local time, followed by a procession to Akershus Fortress, where the King will be laid to rest in the Royal Mausoleum alongside his father, King Olav V. 

The funeral will see a strong British royal presence, with Prince William representing King Charles III, in keeping with royal protocol that the sovereign does not attend the funerals of other heads of state. 

Princess Anne will also attend, in a personal capacity as godmother to the new King Haakon VIII.  

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Marius Borg Høiby is on his way to Oslo for the funeral, according to Dagbladet.

The son of Queen Mette-Marit and stepson of King Haakon was in the same entourage as the rest of the family as they left Skaugum on Wednesday morning. 

He is usually detained with an anklet at house arrest at Skaugum but has been allowed to participate in the funeral events for his late step-grandfather. 

Marius was sentenced to four years in prison in June following a high-profile trial. He was convicted of rape, though he had denied the most serious of the allegations against him. 

Since July, the 29-year-old has been out of jail and under house arrest at the royal estate of Skaugum, while his legal team appeals the sentencing. He was permitted to visit the late King at the hospital before he died on 28 August.

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The Norwegian royal family has left Skaugum Palace and are on their way to Oslo ahead of the funeral this afternoon, according to TV2. 

Skaugum Palace is the family's official residence, located about 19 kilometres southwest of Oslo. 

King Haakon, Queen Mette-Marit, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, and Prince Sverre Magnus were spotted in cars this morning. 

Princess Martha Louise and her husband Durek Verrett were seen arriving at the Palace earlier on Wednesday, while Queen Sonja walked in the Palace Park. 

The procession from the Palace will start at midday, so 11am in the UK. 

The state funeral itself will begin at 1pm (12pm UK time). 

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Belgium's King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, and Grand Duke Guillaume and Grand Duchess Stéphanie of Luxembourg, have arrived in Norway and are now taking a shuttle bus from the airport. 

We have also spotted King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, with Prince Carl Philip. 

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden touched down earlier on Wednesday from Bali (she has been conducting an official visit to Indonesia). 

Large parts of central Oslo have been closed off ahead of the funeral, with queues forming throughout the city. 

© NTB/AFP via Getty Images

© AFP via Getty Images

Here's what we can expect so far for today's timings - these are all according to the local time in Norway. The UK is one hour behind. 

• 12pm - Funeral bier leaves the Palace and makes its way to Oslo Cathedral. There is an official salute. 
• 1pm - King Harald's state funeral officially begins with a minute of silence
• 2.30pm (approx) - Air force doing a flyover over the cathedral when the funeral ceremony is complete. King Harald's bier is then taken to Akershus Castle Church for a private family ceremony. The bier will be lowered into the crypt in the Palace Church. King Haakon will emerge from Akershus Church after the funeral service and a salute is fired for the new King. 
• 4.30pm - The public can access the Palace Square to view the balcony appearance.
• 4.45pm - Haakon, Mette-Marit, Crown Princess Ingrid, Queen Sonja, Prince Sverre Magnus to appear on the Palace Balcony.

Good morning everyone,

And welcome to HELLO!'s live blog as we remember King Harald V of Norway for his funeral today. 

Prince William will be stepping in for King Charles, while Princess Anne is attending in a personal capacity as she's the godmother of the new King, Haakon. 

Queen Sonja, King Haakon and Queen Mette-Marit will be leading the Norwegian royals. 

HELLO! has compiled all the confirmed attendees from monarchies across the world, as well as sharing our personal memories of the late monarch. 

We will also have a livestream throughout the day - so stay with us for all the latest and live coverage.