Every state has a plan for the death of its head. Few admit the plan was drawn up by the deceased. Norway admits it openly: the protocol to be carried out on 9 September in Oslo is called "Operation K", the letter coming from the Norwegian Konge - king, and much of the script was arranged by Harald V while he was still alive.

The plan was drafted in the country's foreign ministry and covers everything - from the moment of death to the last spade of earth. It was activated on 28 August, when the king's death was confirmed. Since then Oslo has done nothing but execute the text it was given.

A script by the minute

At 12:00 the coffin leaves the Royal Palace in a black military vehicle, draped with the royal standard, the crown and the sword of the kingdom. Twenty-one gun salutes are fired from Akershus and from military installations. At 13:00 the entire country falls silent for one minute - three church bells mark the beginning and the end. At 14:00 a second, smaller procession carries the coffin to the chapel at Akershus fortress, where the rite is for the family alone. The grave is in the crypt beneath the fortress church.

Around 2,000 soldiers will stand at key points along the route. The secured axis ties together the three places that hold the story: the palace, the cathedral and the fortress. Six generals and admirals, among them defence chief Eirik Kristoffersen, accompany the coffin. Giant screens are being set up across the city for those who will not get inside.

Who is coming

Seven of the world's ten monarchies have confirmed attendance. Sweden is sending four generations at once. Denmark comes with King Frederik and Queen Mary, Crown Prince Christian, former queen Margrethe and Princess Benedikte. The Netherlands with Willem-Alexander, Máxima, Crown Princess Amalia and Beatrix. Spain with Felipe, Letizia and Queen Sofía. Belgium, Monaco, Liechtenstein. From Japan come Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko - which for the Japanese court is a far bigger gesture than it looks from outside.

This is not a procession of foreign guests. It is a list of families related to one another who have held together for centuries. A king's funeral is the one occasion when they are all photographed together, and every one of them knows it.

What is actually being buried

The ceremony does not end at the grave but at the balcony. After the funeral the new king, Haakon VIII, appears with his family before the assembled public - the same balcony, a new face. Then an official reception for the government, the foreign delegations and the guests. The state does not allow itself a single hour without a king.

In our country a transfer of power takes months and ends in mutual lawsuits. There it takes as long as the walk from the cathedral to the palace. Is the difference in the institutions, or in the fact that somebody actually sat down and wrote out what happens the next day?