Royal mission puts Anutin among monarchs and world leaders at King Harald V’s funeral, opening talks with 11 leaders on trade and investment while Thailand’s budget battle rages at home.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul stepped onto the world stage in Oslo on Wednesday as His Majesty the King’s representative at the state funeral of King Harald V. Surrounded by monarchs, presidents and prime ministers, he seized the rare diplomatic opportunity to speak with leaders from 11 countries. Trade, investment and new economic opportunities were on the table, although no formal deals emerged. Meanwhile, thousands filled Oslo’s streets to bid farewell to their King after a 35-year reign. Yet Mr Anutin’s royal mission came at a critical moment back home. As he attended the funeral and Royal Palace reception, his ministers fought to steer Thailand’s ฿3.78 trillion 2027 budget bill through crucial parliamentary readings amid intense opposition scrutiny.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul represented His Majesty the King at Norway’s state funeral for King Harald V on Wednesday. The royal mission placed Thailand’s leader among monarchs, presidents and prime ministers gathered in Oslo. At the same time, Mr Anutin used the gathering for brief exchanges with 11 foreign leaders. Trade, investment and bilateral cooperation featured in those conversations. No formal agreements were announced.
Mr Anutin, who is also Minister of the Interior, travelled to Norway following a direct royal appointment. His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn appointed him as his representative at the funeral. Accordingly, Mr Anutin attended primarily as the Thai King’s representative, rather than simply as prime minister. The funeral took place at Oslo Cathedral on September 9.
King Harald V died on August 28, aged 89, after roughly 35 years on Norway’s throne. His death triggered extensive public mourning across the country. More than 46,000 people visited the royal chapel while the late King lay in state. In parallel, Oslo prepared for a major influx of foreign royalty and political leaders.
Anutin arrives in Oslo as Thailand’s budget debate continues in Parliament during his royal mission
Mr Anutin left Thailand on the evening of Monday, September 7. He arrived in Norway the following morning, giving him a full day before the funeral. Norwegian reporting placed his arrival at Oslo Airport at about 9 am on September 8. From there, his programme began ahead of Wednesday’s ceremonies.
Back in Bangkok, his departure came during a critical parliamentary week. Lawmakers were considering the Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Bill. In particular, the Prime Minister would miss its crucial second and third readings. As a result, he assigned senior ministers to carry the government’s case before leaving Thailand.
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanpraphas assumed a leading role during the debate. Other ministers were assigned to explain spending provisions and answer questions. Separately, Mr Anutin reportedly monitored parliamentary proceedings from Norway. His royal mission therefore unfolded while one of the government’s biggest legislative measures moved through Parliament.
After reaching Oslo, Mr Anutin walked along sections of the route prepared for the royal ceremonies. During that inspection, he unexpectedly encountered several Thai people. They included Thais living in Norway and at least one visitor from the United States. The Prime Minister stopped and exchanged greetings and good wishes with them.
Thai community greets Anutin as Oslo prepares for King Harald’s funeral and visiting world leaders
Traisuree Taisaranakul, secretary-general to the Prime Minister, was among those accompanying him. Elsewhere in Oslo, preparations intensified for the arrival of international dignitaries. Royal families, presidents and prime ministers travelled to Norway for the funeral. Large crowds were also preparing to line the ceremonial route through the capital.
The main ceremonies followed on Wednesday, September 9. King Harald’s coffin travelled in procession from the Royal Palace towards Oslo Cathedral. Large crowds lined the streets as the procession passed through central Oslo. Notably, Norway also observed a national moment of silence during the funeral. The ceremonies marked the end of a reign lasting more than three decades.
Mr Anutin attended formally as the representative of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn. In that capacity, he joined foreign monarchs, royal families and political leaders inside the cathedral. Presidents, prime ministers and other senior government representatives were also present. Thailand was therefore represented at royal level during one of Norway’s largest state occasions for decades.
The cathedral service formed the centrepiece of Wednesday’s ceremonies. Afterwards, the funeral procession continued towards Akershus Fortress. King Harald was then laid to rest. Across Oslo, thousands of Norwegians had gathered to witness the ceremonies and farewell their late monarch.
Anutin joins monarchs and world leaders as Norway bids farewell to King Harald V at Oslo Cathedral
Later that day, the international gathering shifted to the Royal Palace. Norway’s new monarch, King Haakon VIII, hosted an official reception following his father’s funeral. Mr Anutin attended alongside royal guests, heads of state and senior government representatives. Members of foreign royal families were also among those invited.
The Thai government placed Mr Anutin’s attendance at approximately 5.30 pm local time. Subsequently, he posted photographs from the gathering on Facebook. He said King Haakon VIII had hosted the dinner following the burial ceremonies. Once again, Mr Anutin stressed that His Majesty the King had appointed him as Thailand’s royal representative.
Beyond the ceremonial programme, the gathering provided Mr Anutin with unusually concentrated access to foreign leaders. He later released photographs showing some of those encounters. Altogether, the Prime Minister identified leaders from 11 countries with whom he had spoken. Most were European presidents or prime ministers.
Among them were the presidents of Georgia, Latvia, Albania and Germany. Mr Anutin also met the presidents of Estonia, Hungary and the Czech Republic. His contacts consequently stretched across several parts of Europe. They included European Union members and countries outside the bloc.
On another front, the Prime Minister met his counterparts from France, Norway, Sweden and Morocco. France and Germany placed leaders of two major European economies among his contacts. Sweden and Norway broadened the northern European representation. Morocco provided an additional encounter with a North African government leader.
Anutin meets leaders from 11 countries as Oslo gathering opens doors for brief diplomatic exchanges
Mr Anutin was careful about the status of those conversations. He did not describe them as formal bilateral meetings. Neither did he announce negotiations or agreements resulting from them. Instead, he said the discussions were brief and conducted within the limited time available.
Even so, the Prime Minister said several substantive areas were raised. Bilateral relations and wider cooperation formed part of the conversations. Trade and investment were also discussed. In addition, Mr Anutin raised potential new economic opportunities involving Thailand and the countries represented.
“Although these meetings were brief, we made the most of the limited time to exchange views on bilateral relations, cooperation, trade, investment and new opportunities that could bring mutual benefits to Thailand and the countries represented by these leaders,” Mr Anutin said.
The contacts gave Mr Anutin direct access to leaders across a broad geographical range. France, Germany, Sweden and Norway represented major western and northern European relationships. Elsewhere, Hungary and the Czech Republic expanded the contacts into Central Europe. Latvia and Estonia brought in two Baltic states.
Georgia and Albania added another dimension to the gathering. Likewise, Morocco extended the Prime Minister’s contacts beyond Europe. Yet no trade agreement, investment package or joint declaration emerged from the discussions. The conversations remained informal exchanges around the funeral and Royal Palace reception.
Trade and investment feature in Anutin’s brief talks with European leaders but no agreements emerge
As part of this, economic matters featured prominently in Mr Anutin’s own account of the meetings. He specifically cited trade, investment and new opportunities. Bilateral cooperation was another stated subject. Still, he gave no details of individual proposals discussed with particular leaders.
The royal assignment remained the overriding purpose of the journey. Mr Anutin had travelled under a direct appointment from His Majesty the King. Thus, his diplomatic contacts occurred around the funeral programme rather than through separate formal summits. Wednesday’s funeral and palace reception remained the central engagements.
On Thursday, Mr Anutin’s programme shifted towards Thailand’s expatriate community. At about 10.30 am local time, he visited Wat Thai Norway. Members of the Thai community were waiting when he arrived. They presented him with flowers before speaking informally with the Prime Minister.
During the visit, Mr Anutin met Phra Ratchawachirasasanawithet, the abbot of Wat Thai Norway. The senior monk is also president of the Union of Thai Sangha in Europe. Mr Anutin paid his respects and received blessings. The temple visit also gave him another opportunity to meet Thais living in Norway.
Afterwards, the Prime Minister prepared for his departure from the country. The temple engagement was his final publicly reported event in Norway. His published schedule called for him to leave on Thursday. He was then expected to arrive back in Thailand on Friday morning.
Anutin visits Wat Thai Norway and meets the Thai community before preparing for his journey home
At home, Parliament had continued its budget proceedings throughout his absence. Mr Ekniti and other ministers carried responsibility for defending government spending plans. They also answered questions during the Prime Minister’s royal mission. Mr Anutin, for his part, reportedly followed developments from Oslo.
The timing placed two major responsibilities on separate tracks. In Norway, Mr Anutin represented His Majesty the King at the funeral. In Thailand, his ministers steered the government through crucial budget readings. His expected return therefore came immediately after an important parliamentary week.
By around midday Friday, no clear government announcement had confirmed Mr Anutin’s physical arrival back in Thailand. His official itinerary had nevertheless scheduled his return for Friday morning. The confirmed position was that his Norwegian engagements had ended and his journey home had begun.
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The Oslo mission produced no announced diplomatic agreement or formal negotiation. Instead, its political element came through short encounters with leaders from 11 countries. Those discussions covered bilateral ties, cooperation, trade, investment and possible new economic opportunities.
Above all, the journey was a royal assignment. Mr Anutin represented His Majesty the King at King Harald’s funeral and joined the reception hosted by King Haakon VIII. He then completed his programme at Wat Thai Norway before leaving the country. His return brought the Prime Minister back to Bangkok after a week dominated by the budget debate.
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Further reading:
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