William walks in funeral procession in honour of King Harald V of Norway

The Prince of Wales has represented the King at the poignant final farewell to King Harald V of Norway.

William formed part of the walking procession behind the much-loved monarch’s coffin, which was slowly drawn on a gun carriage through the streets from the Royal Palace to the funeral in Oslo Cathedral on Wednesday.

Heir to the throne William, who was next to his aunt the Princess Royal, joined a large ensemble of foreign royals as they made the journey on foot in honour of the late king.

Also processing against a backdrop of sombre music by the military bands were Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco, the Kings and Queens of Spain, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and Jordan, and Japan’s Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko.

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky walked two rows behind William among the political leaders.

Directly behind the coffin was Norway’s new King Haakon VIII, with Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra and other members of the family.

The widowed Queen Sonja, wearing a black veil, and the new Queen Mette-Marit followed by car.

Thousands lined the streets, crowded behind barriers, to witness the historic occasion and see the coffin move past, draped in the red Norwegian royal standard and adorned with white flowers.

Harald, who was King Charles III’s second cousin once removed, died on August 28 at the age of 89.

He was Europe’s oldest monarch and was known for his warmth, humour and informal style, and hailed as an inclusive “people’s king” who modernised the Norwegian monarchy during his 35 year-reign.

Charles paid a touching tribute to his “dear cousin” and “much-loved kinsman and friend” after the news of Harald’s death was announced.

In a message of condolence, he praised his “unwavering dedication” and his “kindness, compassion and deep sense of duty echoed from across the sea and across the decades”.

Under royal precedent, the British sovereign does not traditionally attend funerals of other heads of state.

The late Queen Elizabeth II and King Harald were second cousins. They shared the same great-grandparents, King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.

Anne attended in a personal capacity as godmother of King Haakon.

William sat next to Crown Princess Kiko and close to Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, facing the coffin, in the third row on the left of the altar.

He was pictured leaning forward to speak to one of the other members of the congregation.

The prince was dressed in a black tie and a black morning suit, as military uniform for the ceremony was reserved for the Royal Norwegian Order of St Olav, of which William is not a member.

The speaker of Norway’s parliament, Masud Gharahkhani, said at the service that “King Harald was close to the people” and “wasn’t afraid to meet people in his rubber boots”.

“He lived up to his motto: He gave his all for Norway,” Mr Gharahkhani added.

Among those who attended the funeral was Mette-Marit’s eldest son and Haakon’s stepson, Marius Borg Hoiby, who was convicted of rape and sentenced to four years in prison in June after a trial which cast a shadow over the broader royal family.

Hoiby, who has no royal title or duties, is appealing against his conviction and was allowed out from house arrest with an ankle tag for the service.

Mette-Marit, who has faced controversy over her past contact with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018.

She underwent a lung transplant less than three months ago, and missed the King’s oath of allegiance ceremony last week due to complications from the surgery.

After the funeral, Harald’s coffin was taken in a smaller procession to the Akershus Fortress to be laid to rest in the crypt of the palace chapel, where the late king’s ancestors are buried.

Walking behind was King Haakon, flanked on either side by the King of Sweden and the King of Denmark, in a show of solidarity by Norway’s closest Scandinavian neighbours.