THE SERBIAN COMMUNITY BID FAREWELL TO KING HARALD V

At the Parish Hall of the Church of St. Basil of Ostrog in Oslo, on 13 September 2026, following the Sunday Divine Liturgy, a memorial gathering was held in remembrance of the recently deceased King Harald V of Norway.

Following a welcome address by the host, Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Aleksandar Zeljković, Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to the Kingdom of Norway Dr Jasmina Mitrović Marić and Saša Dimitrijević, a recipient of honours from the King of Norway and the President of Serbia, journalist, publicist and author of several books on the suffering of our compatriots in occupied Norway during the Second World War, spoke about the late King Harald V’s ties with Serbia, as well as about their valuable personal encounters with the “beloved King”, who led Norway for more than three decades, dedicating his life to serving his people and his country as a true role model and a genuine example of a monarch in a parliamentary monarchy.

In the dignified and warm atmosphere of the Parish Hall of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Norway, a place of unity and gathering for the Serbian community, particular attention was given to a fact of exceptional significance, testifying to the great respect that King Harald V—whose reign was marked by the motto “Everything for Norway” - also showed towards Serbia.

With pride and gratitude, it was recalled that King Harald V of Norway, then a young Crown Prince, visited Serbia in 1966 together with his father, King Olav, and on that occasion met with our compatriots who had been forcibly interned in occupied Norway during the Second World War.

King Harald V further demonstrated his respect for the suffering of the Serbian people through his presence at Serbian memorial sites in Norway, where he paid tribute to our fallen compatriots together with representatives of Serbia. The Norwegian and Serbian flags flew side by side on either side of the monument.

The importance Serbia attaches to preserving the memory of King Harald V, as well as its respect for the sincere friendship he consistently showed towards Serbia throughout his reign, was reflected in the high-level delegation that travelled from Belgrade especially for this solemn occasion to attend the final farewell to the “beloved King”.

The State Funeral ceremony, held in Oslo on 9 September 2026, was attended by the official delegation of the Republic of Serbia led by Minister of Foreign Affairs Marko Đurić, as well as by Serbian Crown Prince Alexander Karađorđević and his wife.