Norwegian Royal Women Debate 1991-Style Mourning Veils for King Harald V Funeral
Updated
Updated · Vanity Fair · Sep 8
Norwegian Royal Women Debate 1991-Style Mourning Veils for King Harald V Funeral
3 articles · Updated · Vanity Fair · Sep 8
Summary
September 9 funeral plans for King Harald V have turned a dress-code detail into a national debate over whether royal women should wear the long black mourning veils seen at King Olav V’s 1991 funeral.
1991 photos revived the issue, with former palace official Carl-Erik Grimstad saying the veils were already viewed as outdated then, though the court kept them to preserve tradition.
Critics including activist Sarah Gaulin argue veils impose stricter public rules on women’s grief, while supporters and fashion outlets frame them as a historic symbol of mourning and privacy under intense media scrutiny.
The decision will be watched closely as Queen Sonja, Mette-Marit, Ingrid Alexandra and Märtha Louise join a heavily photographed procession amid family strains, including Mette-Marit’s recovery and Marius Borg Høiby’s rape-conviction appeal.