The cheers and applause on the castle hill would not end. Despite heavy clouds, Norwegians flocked there to watch the salute from the balcony. It marked the end of a long, dignified and tradition-rich day in Oslo.
I think it will be good with the new ones, they will grow into it, says Elise Løver, who watched the late king's funeral procession with her daughters Alima and Agnes Løver-Sumbunu.
It's been nice to see King Haakon these days, he seems confident.
Quiet ranks
Wednesday's funeral began and ended at the castle, where a sea of flags and flowers, mainly roses and chrysanthemums, never seems to stop growing.
At noon, a funeral salute was fired and the king's coffin, covered with the Norwegian standard and adorned with white flowers, left the palace and was carried in procession onto Karl Johans gate.
After a military band, a solemn King Haakon arrived, accompanied by Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Prince Sverre Magnus and Princess Märtha Louise. Closely followed by King Carl Gustaf and Crown Princess Victoria, along with the rest of the Swedish royal family.
In the dense crowd of spectators, everything fell silent, but phones were held up to film the historic event. Many wore black, others military uniforms, some folk costumes. Over 220,000 people were present, according to Norwegian media.
I was very moved, it was like a silence had come in the middle of the sea of people, says lawyer Kristine Sørsteby Gilbo, who took time off for the funeral procession.
Read prayer
The first stop was Oslo Cathedral, where the grand funeral service was held. There, the late monarch was praised as a unifying force by, among others, the Speaker of the Storting, Masud Gharahkhani, and Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. King Harald's goddaughter, Crown Princess Victoria, read Francis of Assisi's prayer for hope and light in Swedish.
Several members of the Norwegian royal family were visibly moved: they held each other's hands and wiped away tears. The church's bright floral decorations were intended to evoke Norwegian nature.
When a minute of silence was held, however, someone had forgotten to turn off their phone, and the atmosphere in the church was briefly disturbed by angry cell phone signals.
After the ceremony, a military flyover was conducted and then the coffin was taken to nearby Akershus Fortress, where there is a royal crypt.
Hundreds of royals and heads of state and government attended the funeral, and the security apparatus was enormous. Every two metres along the procession stood soldiers with automatic weapons.
That Harald was a popular and inclusive monarch is emphasized by several spectators at the riot fence.
We feel sadness, but it is unifying – not divisive, says civil servant Hans Bjørner.
Facts: King Haakon VIII
Haakon was born on July 20, 1973 in Oslo as the second child of King Harald and Queen Sonja.
Graduated from Kristelig Gymnasium in Oslo in 1992 and completed his education at the Naval Academy in Bergen in 1995.
Holds a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master's degree from the London School of Economics with a specialization in international trade and Africa.
He is a general in the army, an admiral in the navy and a general in the air force. With the royal title, he becomes, according to the constitution, the supreme commander.
Married Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby in Oslo Cathedral in 2001.
The couple has two children: Ingrid Alexandra, born in 2004, and Sverre Magnus, born in 2005. Haakon is also the stepfather of Marius Borg Høiby.
Haakon has adopted the same motto as his father: "Everything for Norway".
Source: The Royal House and NTB
