King Haakon shared a deeply emotional moment with his grieving mother, Queen Sonja.
The Norwegian Monarch stood by Queen Sonja’s side as she arrived at Oslo Cathedral for the funeral of her husband, King Harald V.
The grieving Queen wore a black dress, pearl necklace and veil as she arrived from the Royal Palace.
Sonja received a touching gesture of support from Haakon, who reached for her hand as they entered the cathedral.
The queen mourned her husband alongside members of the Norwegian royal family and visiting royals, including Prince William, Princess Anne and King Frederik X.
Also in attendance at the service were King Felipe, Queen Letizia and Queen Sofía of Spain; King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima, Princess Amalia and Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands; King Carl Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia, Princess Madeleine and Princess Christina of Sweden; King Frederik, Queen Mary, Crown Prince Christian and Princess Benedikte of Denmark; King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium; King Abdullah and Queen Rania of Jordan; Prince Albert of Monaco; Crown Prince Akishino (Fumihito) and Crown Princess Akishino (Kiko) of Japan; and more.
Ahead of the funeral, Sonja penned a touching farewell to Harald, who passed away on August 28 aged 89 after suffering a blood infection.
While Harald’s coffin lay in state at the Palace Chapel, Sonja placed a wreath bearing the heartfelt message, “Thank you for a good life” in Norwegian.
King Harald and Queen Sonja relationship
Harald and Sonja first met at a party in 1959 and kept their romance secret for years because she was a commoner and royal-commoner marriages were not permitted in Norway at the time.
He was determined to marry Sonja, even giving his father, King Olav V, an ultimatum that he would become king but never marry, potentially ending the royal line.
After their wedding on August 29, 1968, the pair went on to welcome Princess Märtha Louise in 1971 and her brother, Haakon, two years later.
