Just one day after Norway said its final goodbye to King Harald V, the Norwegian Royal House shared a strikingly personal image of the late monarch.
There was no crown, ceremonial uniform, or grand palace setting. Instead, Harald is pictured as a young man at sea, dressed casually in a red sailing jacket and cap as he appears to handle the lines of a sailboat. The Royal House accompanied the image with just a few words. “Hvil i fred, Kong Harald." “Rest in peace, King Harald.”
© Fairfax Media ArchivesThe understated tribute came following the late monarch's state funeral at Oslo Cathedral on September 9, which brought together members of royal families and dignitaries from around the world. Thousands also gathered in the streets of Oslo to say goodbye before Harald was laid to rest at Akershus Fortress.
While the Palace did not explain why it selected the sailing photograph for the tribute, the image carries particular resonance given one of Harald's greatest lifelong passions.
© JOSE JORDANA king at home on the water:
Long before he became Norway's king, Harald was an accomplished competitive sailor.
The then-Crown Prince represented Norway at three consecutive Olympic Games, competing at Tokyo 1964, Mexico City 1968 and Munich 1972. At his first Games in Tokyo, the 27-year-old royal was also given the honor of carrying Norway's flag during the Opening Ceremony.
© LISE AASERUDAnd his relationship with the sport did not end with his Olympic career. In 1987, Harald and his crew became world champions aboard Fram X, while in 2005 he added a European championship to his achievements.
Remarkably, he continued participating in national and international regattas into his 80s, only bringing his competitive sailing career to an end in 2022.
© DON EMMERTFollowing his death, World Sailing remembered Harald as one of the sport's most accomplished and enduring figures. He had also served as the first president of the Norwegian Sailing Federation when it was founded in 1970 and later became President of Honour of World Sailing.
The Norwegian Sailing Federation's president, Guro Steine, offered an especially fitting description of the monarch following his death, remembering him as “a sailing King, but also one of us.”
© Lalo YaskyNorway's final farewell:
The intimate photograph arrived after a much more ceremonial farewell to the monarch.
Harald, who died on August 28 at the age of 89 after 35 years on the throne, was laid to rest on September 9. A 21-gun salute sounded as his funeral procession traveled from the Royal Palace to Oslo Cathedral, while tens of thousands of mourners lined the capital's streets.
After the cathedral service, his coffin continued to Akershus Fortress, where the late King was interred in the Royal Mausoleum. His son and successor, King Haakon VIII, later emerged from the crypt as Norway's official period of national mourning came to an end.
Against the grandeur of those ceremonies, the Royal House's subsequent tribute presented Harald very differently, not simply as the sovereign Norway had just laid to rest, but as the young sailor who spent a lifetime returning to the sea.
