Norway’s Queen Mette-Marit joins procession to bring late King Harald V’s coffin to royal chapel

OSLO, Norway (AP) — The coffin of late King Harald V of Norway traveled through the royal palace to its chapel on Monday, with Queen Mette-Marit joining the procession in her first official appearance since assuming the title.

Harald passed away Friday at age 89, and his son, the crown prince, immediately became King Haakon VIII. His wife became Queen Mette-Marit, while his oldest child, Ingrid Alexandra, became crown princess and heir to the throne.

Haakon, 53, will take the oath to Norway’s constitution on Tuesday. His tasks in the near future will include shoring up support for the monarchy following controversies over his wife’s past contacts with deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his stepson’s rape conviction.

Mette-Marit has been largely absent from the public eye in the wake of her lung transplant in June. She was diagnosed in 2018 with pulmonary fibrosis, a progressive disease that damages and scars lung tissue. It can cause serious breathing problems, and there is no known cure.

Mette-Marit and Queen Sonja, Harald’s widow, held hands and walked behind the coffin during Monday’s procession.

Since Harald’s death, the royal family and the country have been in an official state of mourning. Norwegians and visitors expressed their grief over the weekend by laying flowers, writing cards and lighting candles in front of the royal palace in Oslo, where the coffin arrived late Friday from the hospital.

The coffin stayed in the palace’s Red Salon over the weekend before traveling to the royal chapel on Monday, where it will remain until the funeral. The public can go to the chapel to pay their respects to the late king beginning Tuesday, Norwegian broadcaster NRK reported.

The funeral is set for Sept. 9.