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Britain's Prince William will attend the funeral of Norway's late King Harald next week in place of his father, King Charles III, Buckingham Palace announced on Saturday.
The heir to the throne is set to represent his father at the funeral on Sept. 9, having also attended the funeral of Pope Francis last year on behalf of the king.
British monarchs do not attend funerals of other heads of state per protocol, usually sending another member of the royal family to represent them.
Charles, 77, who is being treated for an undisclosed form of cancer but maintains a packed schedule of engagements, released a statement mourning the loss of his "dear cousin" King Harald last week.
The two men were second cousins once removed, both being descendants of Britain's King Edward VII. Charles's sister Princess Anne will attend in a personal capacity as the godmother of the new king, Haakon VIII.
King Harald died on Aug. 28 at Oslo University Hospital, where he had been admitted on Aug. 17 for treatment of hemolytic anemia, a condition caused by the rapid destruction of red blood cells that leads to fatigue and shortness of breath.
He later developed a bacterial infection in his bloodstream, and his condition was described as "extremely serious" in the days before his death.
He passed away peacefully at 6:35 a.m. local time (4:35 a.m. GMT), the Norwegian royal palace said. His wife, Queen Sonja; King Haakon; Haakon's wife, Crown Princess Mette-Marit; and their adult children spent much of his final day at his bedside. The flag at the royal palace in Oslo was lowered to half-mast, and crowds gathered outside to lay flowers.
Harald, who ascended the throne in 1991, had faced a series of health issues in recent years, including a tendon repair surgery in 2021 and the fitting of a pacemaker in 2024 following a hospitalization in Malaysia.
Despite his declining health, he had repeatedly ruled out abdicating, saying the role was a lifelong commitment made under oath to the Norwegian Parliament.
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