On Monday afternoon, members of the Norwegian Royal Family accompanied the king’s coffin from the Royal Palace to the Palace Chapel, where it will remain during the days leading up to the funeral.
The royal court said the public procession has been arranged so that mourners can slowly pass the coffin and offer a personal farewell.
“The procession gives those who wish to do so the opportunity to slowly walk past the coffin to pay King Harald their final respects,” the Norwegian royal court said in a statement.
The Palace Chapel is open to members of the public from September 1 through September 8, but anyone planning to visit must follow a number of important rules.
One of the clearest restrictions concerns cameras and mobile phones.
Photography and filming inside the Palace Chapel are strictly forbidden.
“The public is not permitted to take photographs or film inside the Palace Chapel,” the royal court stated.
Visitors will also be required to pass through a security screening before entering.
The court is encouraging mourners to avoid bringing large bags, luggage or other bulky items because they cannot be taken into the chapel.
Those who arrive with luggage will need to leave it at a designated storage area before entering.
“After the procession, any luggage can be collected from the luggage storage tent,” the court explained.
Any belongings that are left behind will eventually be transferred to the lost-and-found department of the Oslo Police District.
Another important rule concerns flowers and written tributes.
Although some mourners may want to approach the coffin carrying flowers, cards or personal messages, those items cannot be placed inside the chapel.
“It is not permitted to place flowers or messages inside the chapel,” the royal court said.
The restrictions are intended to allow large numbers of people to pass through the historic space in an orderly and respectful manner during what is expected to be an emotional week for Norway.
Special arrangements have also been made for visitors with reduced mobility.
The Palace Chapel will have a designated accessible entrance, and service dogs will be allowed inside.
Other animals, however, are not permitted.
“Other pets must stay at home,” the court said.
Families with young children are also welcome to attend, although parents bringing prams will need to follow an additional rule.
Visitors can wait in line with a pram, but it cannot be taken inside the Palace Chapel itself.
“If you are traveling with small children in a pram, you are welcome to queue with the pram,” the court explained. “However, the pram must be parked outside the Palace Chapel before the procession.”
Between September 2 and September 8, the chapel is scheduled to remain open to the public from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m., giving mourners several days to pay their respects.
The opportunity to walk past the coffin is expected to become one of the most solemn moments of the national mourning period.
King Harald spent decades at the center of Norwegian public life, and his death has brought an outpouring of condolences from across the country and beyond.
But for those visiting the Palace Chapel, the farewell will be deliberately simple.
Visitors may walk slowly past the coffin and quietly pay their respects, but cameras must remain away, flowers and messages cannot be placed inside, and large belongings must be left outside.
The rules place the emphasis firmly on the moment itself rather than on recording it.
King Harald will be laid to rest on September 9, bringing an end to an extraordinary chapter in Norway’s royal history.
Until then, thousands are expected to make their way through the Palace Chapel for one final, quiet goodbye.