Funeral of Norway's late King Harald set for September 9: palace

The funeral for Norway's late King Harald, will be held on September 9, the royal palace announced on Sunday.

Presiding Bishop of the Church of Norway Olav Fykse Tveit will lead next Wednesday's funeral ceremony in Oslo Cathedral from 1pm, the palace added.

King Harald V of Norway, who died Friday morning aged 89, enjoyed massive support despite the slew of scandals that dogged his family in the final stretch of his 35-year reign.

Just before the funeral announcement, the palace said the king's casket, which was moved from the hospital to the Royal Palace's Red Salon Friday evening, would be moved to the palace's chapel on Monday afternoon.

Then from 2pm (1200 GMT) on Tuesday, members of the public "who wish may walk slowly past the casket to say farewell to King Harald" until the day before his funeral.

Norway's new king, Haakon VIII, will also swear an oath of allegiance in parliament on Tuesday.

Harald was widely seen as the embodiment of an open and tolerant Norway. He was praised for leading a monarchy that was modern and modest.

But he faced mounting health problems in his final years, forcing him to scale back his official schedule.

The past year has been a turbulent one for the Norwegian royal family.

King Haakon's wife Mette-Marit is under scrutiny for her ties to the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

And in June, Mette-Marit's son from a previous relationship, Marius Borg Hoiby, was sentenced to four years in prison for two rapes, a sentence he is appealing.