The mayor of Oslo, Anne Lindboe, has cancelled her scheduled wedding ceremony following the death of Norway`s King Harald V on Friday, according to BBC News.
The wedding with her fiance, Pål Sandvid, was originally planned to take place on Friday. However, the ceremony was immediately postponed after the monarch passed away early that same day. A political adviser to the mayor confirmed the decision and the timeline of events to BBC News. Lindboe and Sandvid had been together for five years before announcing their official engagement in June of this year. No new date has been set for the rescheduled wedding ceremony, the adviser added.
Lindboe paid heartfelt tribute to the late monarch on the social media platform Instagram.
She wrote that it was difficult to imagine both the city of Oslo and the nation of Norway without him. The mayor noted that he did not need a crowd to be an effective and loved king. She added that even the majority of Norwegians who never had the chance to meet him in person still felt a strong, familiar connection to him.
King Harald V reigned over the Scandinavian country for 35 years. He passed away at the national hospital located in Norway`s capital city, where he was undergoing medical treatment for a rare blood condition. Following his death, his son officially became the new monarch, taking the title of King Haakon VIII on Friday. Haakon VIII is known to be the great-great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria.
The late king was widely regarded as a popular and reforming leader who worked to modernise the monarchy throughout his reign. He famously broke with royal tradition by choosing to marry a commoner, Queen Sonja. His death occurred just one day before the couple was set to celebrate their 58th wedding anniversary. Over the years, he served as a unifying figure during some of Norway`s most difficult and challenging national moments.
In the wake of his death, members of the public have been gathering outside the Royal Palace in Oslo to lay flowers at a memorial site. Norway`s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre delivered a televised memorial address to the nation. The prime minister stated that the country was united in both grief and gratitude for the king`s long service, declaring that his legacy would live on.
International leaders also expressed their sorrow. Britain`s King Charles III released a statement mourning the loss of his dear cousin. King Harald V shared a familial connection with the British royal family, being a second cousin to King Charles` late mother, Queen Elizabeth II.|k-
