Sons of Norway’s Farewell to King Harald V

Sons of Norway was invited to attend the state funeral of His Majesty King Harald V, as the largest Norwegian heritage organization outside of Norway and due to the King’s long standing patronage of the Sons of Norway Foundation.

District 8 President Eilert Lunde received a call from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was requested to RSVP as a guest. He quickly booked a flight to Oslo. Later same that evening, The Royal Palace emailed Lunde, telling him that The Royal Court of Norway was also extending an invitation to the Memorial Reception at the Palace in honor of the late King.

Lunde called the funeral of King Harald “a magical experience.“

The service was led by Preses (Presiding Bishop) Olav Fykse Tveit and followed the Church of Norway’s order of service for funerals. The Bishop of Oslo, Sunniva Gylver, also led part of the service. At the beginning of the ceremony, there was one minute of silence throughout Norway, marked by three chimes of the cathedral bells at the beginning and end.

Music featured prominently at the funeral. Cathedral Organist Marcus André Berg led the musical program along with the Oslo Cathedral Choir (Oslo Domkor).

The President of the Storting (the Norwegian Parliament) Masud Gharahkhani delivered a memorial address about King Harald’s humanity and how he lived up to his motto “Alt for Norge” by meeting citizens without judgment (note: there are English subtitles in linked video) and Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre spoke about King Harald’s deep empathy for the Norwegian people on his official visits to far-flung villages with Queen Sonja. He highlighted how the King had encouraged citizens in one of his New Year’s addresses to reflect on what they were grateful for and take care of each other. And finally, Gahr Støre gave a salute to HM Queen Sonja, for her decades of service alongside King Harald. A candle-lighting ceremony was held involving representatives of different faiths and beliefs.

The funeral featured powerful musical selections performed by various artists:

“No stig vår song” (Psalm 854 – Now our song rises) Performed as the opening choral hymn by the Oslo Cathedral Choir (Oslo Domkor).

“Eg veit i himmerik ei borg” (I know a castle in heaven)– Congregational hymn (fellessalme).

“Jørgen Hattemaker” (Jørgen the Hatmaker (Alf Prøysen/Bjarne Amdahl) – Performed by artists Åge Aleksandersen, Tuva Syvertsen, and Andreas Aase.

Psalm 121 – Chanted by the cathedral choir.

“Simeons Lovsang” – (Simeon’s song of praise) A commissioned work by Kjetil Habbestad sung by the choir in Northern Sami, Latin, and Nynorsk.

“Abide with Me” / “O bli hos meg” – Performed by soloist Hillari (Hillari Alison Conlu) and the cathedral choir for the first three verses, followed by congregational singing for the final two verses.

“Kongesangen” (“Gud, sign vår konge god!”) – The Norwegian royal national anthem sung as a congregational hymn.

“Deilig er jorden” (Beautiful is the Earth / Beautiful Savior) – Sung as the final congregational hymn before the exit procession.

“Under Himlens Vide Tag” (Beneath the vast canopy of the sky) – Postlude/recessional music composed by cathedral cantor Marcus André Berg.

Bible passages were read in Sami by Mathis Eira, Deputy Chair, Sami Church Council (nestleder, Samisk kirkeråd), in Norwegian by actress Ameli Isungset Abota and in Swedish by HKH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden.

The homily by presiding bishop Olav Fykse Tveit was about how love conquers death. He noted King Harald’s enduring love for the people of Norway, how he embraced everyone, especially those on the edges of society.

Dignitaries in attendance were The Royal Family of Norway, four former prime ministers of Norway, members of the royal families of Sweden, Spain, Denmark, United Kingdom and seven other nations, and foreign politicians including Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine.

At The Royal Palace, later in the afternoon, District 8 President Eilert Lunde got to greet King Håkon VIII, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, and Queen Sonja – who reached out for a hug.

The reception was a three-course dinner with wine. Lunde said it was fantastic to represent Sons of Norway at the events.

During his stay in Oslo, Lunde met many people, including the County Mayor (fylkesordfører) of Vestland. Leif Johan Sevland, president of Offshore Northern Seas (ONS) and former Mayor of Stavanger, who Lunde knows well, introduced him to dignitaries, acting as Sons of Norway’s “new Marketing Manager” for the day. County Mayor of Vestland Jon Askeland said that he wanted to start up a Sons of Norway lodge in Bergen, home to two previous lodges. Lunde says he had many opportunities to talk about Sons of Norway during the events in Oslo and felt like he was promoting our organization at every possible moment.

Hvil i fred, Kong Harald. Takk for alt.
Rest in peace, King Harald. Thanks for everything.