Prince William Will Undertake This Major Royal Duty on the Same Day Prince George Begins Milestone New Chapter

Rachel BurchfieldSun, September 6, 2026 at 1:41 PM UTC

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Prince George and Prince William in Glasgow, Scotland on August 1, 2026.Credit: GettyThe Gist -

Buckingham Palace has announced that Prince William will represent King Charles at the September 9 funeral of King Harald V of Norway in Oslo.

Princess Anne will also attend the funeral in a personal capacity, as she is the godmother of Norway’s new king, Haakon, the son of Harald.

Wednesday is also Prince George’s first day at Eton College, and marks Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis’s first day of school, as well.

Prince William is set to undertake a major royal duty this week on behalf of his father, King Charles—but it might conflict with another important date on the calendar.

Prince William on June 10, 2026.Credit: Getty

On September 9, the Prince of Wales will represent the British royal family at the funeral of King Harald V of Norway, who died at 89 years old on August 28. Harald, who was on the throne for 35 years, was Europe’s oldest reigning monarch at the time of his death, and his son, King Haakon, is now on the throne following his passing.

It was confirmed on September 5 that both William and Princess Anne would represent the British royal family—William as a representative of the king, and the Princess Royal appearing in a personal capacity, as she is Haakon’s godmother. It is tradition for the British sovereign to not attend funerals of other heads of state, according to Hello!.

King Harald mourning Queen Elizabeth on September 18, 2022.Credit: Getty

Wednesday’s funeral is also the day that his eldest son Prince George is due to begin school at Eton College, which doubles as William’s alma mater. According to the prestigious all-boys school’s academic calendar, pupils return on September 9, the same day as the funeral at Oslo Cathedral in Norway.

Prince George at Trooping the Colour on June 13, 2026.Credit: Getty

No doubt William will find a way to manage duty with his son’s major milestone. Harald—who The Guardian reported has been hailed as an inclusive “people’s king” who “modernized the Norwegian monarchy” during his time on the throne—is a second cousin once removed of Charles, and the two men have remained close through the years. The British royal family and the Norwegian royal family are closely linked, and in 2018, William and Kate Middleton went on an official tour to Norway, dining with Harald and his wife, Queen Sonja, at the Royal Palace. The Princess of Wales—then the Duchess of Cambridge—was pregnant with Prince Louis at the time, and Harald described William and Kate as “family” during the visit.

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Kate Middleton and King Harald on February 1, 2018.Credit: Getty

Charles called Harald’s death a “heartbreaking loss,” and wrote of his profound sadness over the death of his “dear cousin.” He wrote on Instagram, “For 35 years, King Harald served his people with unwavering dedication, guiding Norway through times of great change with warmth and humility. As Norway mourns the loss of so towering a figure, my whole family join in remembering a much-loved kinsman and friend whose kindness, compassion, and deep sense of duty echoed from across the sea and across the decades.”

This will mark the second time William has represented his father at a funeral on the international scale, following the April 2025 funeral of Pope Francis in the Vatican. The Telegraph reported that William “will make the trip in a day, between public engagements and his elder son Prince George, 13, starting at Eton.” Princess Charlotte and Louis are also expected to return to school at Lambrook on Wednesday, making for a very busy day for the Wales family.

Prince William on July 9, 2026.Credit: Getty

Prince William on August 1, 2026.Credit: Getty

The Prince and Princess of Wales have been largely out of the spotlight recently, spending the remaining bits of the summer with their three children before school begins for each.

“They’ve got a long time in the top job, and after this it becomes even more relentless, so I think they’re trying to manage their time as best they can whilst they’ve got an element of freedom,” royal biographer Robert Jobson told Hello!.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”