Prince William will attend the funeral of Norway’s King Harald in Oslo on behalf of King Charles

Prince William will attend the funeral of King Harald V of Norway in Oslo on Wednesday, Buckingham Palace announced. The Prince of Wales will represent his father, King Charles, in accordance with the convention that the British monarch does not usually attend the funeral of another head of state.

Princess Anne will also attend the ceremony in a personal capacity. She is the godmother of the new Norwegian monarch, King Haakon VIII. The funeral will begin with a farewell ceremony, which is expected to draw large crowds, and will continue with a procession to Oslo Cathedral.

Those attending will include Queen Sonja, King Harald’s widow, members of the Norwegian royal family, and representatives of other European royal families. The service will be followed by a private burial in the royal mausoleum at Akershus Fortress.

King Haakon is assuming the throne at a difficult time for the Norwegian royal family. Queen Mette-Marit has been criticized following the revelation of her three-year friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, while her son, Marius Borg Høiby, was sentenced in June to four years in prison for rape and other offenses.

While Prince William is in Norway, King Charles will return to Scotland and receive the new prime minister, Andy Burnham, at Balmoral.