Prince William is attending as a representative of the Crown, while the Princess Royal is attending in a private capacity, as the godmother of the new King Haakon

• World leaders will assemble in Norway on Wednesday, Sept. 9, for the state funeral of King Harald V
• Prince William will attend as a representative of his father, King Charles; it is a long-standing tradition that British monarchs do not attend state funerals
• Princess Anne will also attend the funeral in a private capacity as the godmother of the new King Haakon

World leaders will assemble in Norway on Wednesday, Sept. 9, for the state funeral of King Harald.

However, in keeping with long-standing tradition in the British monarchy, King Charles will not be in attendance. His son and heir, Prince William, will attend as his representative.

The British sovereign almost never attends the funerals of other heads of state. In fact, over the course of her 70-year reign, the late Queen Elizabeth only attended one: the funeral of King Baudouin of Belgium in 1993.

In addition to the Prince of Wales, 44, Princess Anne will also attend King Harald’s funeral in a private capacity, as the godmother of the new King Haakon.

While King Charles won’t be present at the funeral, held at the Oslo Cathedral, dozens of other heads of state are expected to attend, including King Felipe, Queen Letizia and Queen Sofía of Spain; King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima, Princess Amalia and Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands; King Carl Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia, Princess Madeleine and Princess Christina of Sweden; King Frederik, Queen Mary, Crown Prince Christian and Princess Benedikte of Denmark; King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium; King Abdullah of Jordan; Prince Albert of Monaco; Crown Prince Akishino (Fumihito) and Crown Princess Akishino (Kiko) of Japan; and more.

King Harald died at the Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet in the early morning hours of Friday, Aug. 28. He was 89 years old and had spent nearly two weeks in the hospital being treated for a rare blood condition.

King Charles, 77, was among the first to share a social media tribute following the news.

“It is with the most profound sadness that my wife and I have learned of the death of my dear cousin, King Harald V of Norway,” King Charles wrote in an Instagram post. “For thirty-five years, King Harald served his people with unwavering dedication, guiding Norway through times of great change with warmth and humility.”

Many of today’s European royal families share connected bloodlines thanks to the strategic matchmaking of 19th-century monarchs like Queen Victoria and King Christian IX of Denmark. Queen Victoria, in particular, is sometimes referred to as “the grandmother of Europe” for how many family trees have grown from her line of descendants.

Through their shared royal lineage, King Harald and the late Queen Elizabeth were second cousins, making King Charles and his siblings related to both the late King and the newly appointed King Haakon VIII.

Further proving the interconnectedness of the European royals, Princess Anne, 76, shares the honor of being a godparent to King Haakon with King Olav V of Norway, his late grandfather; Princess Astrid, Mrs. Ferner, his paternal great-aunt; Prince Carl Bernadotte, his paternal cousin; King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, his paternal cousin; and Queen Margrethe of Denmark, his paternal cousin.

Prince William’s attendance at the funeral will come in the midst of a busy week.

His son and heir, Prince George, is set to begin his first year at Eton College, following in his father’s footsteps in attending the all-boys boarding school. It will mark a major transition for the entire Wales family, with the 13-year-old living away from home for the first time while his younger siblings — Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, 8 — remain at Lambrook School.

While some royal watchers expected William and Kate to choose a more modern secondary education for their eldest — perhaps a co-ed institution that would allow him to continue attending school with both of his siblings — Kensington Palace confirmed on June 16 that Eton was the choice for the next future king.

“Eton was a much-needed haven for William,” royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith told PEOPLE following the announcement. “It will give George a rigorous education that he will need for his role.”

Plus, a source close to the family added, “George has always wanted to follow in his dad’s footsteps.”

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