Norway’s King Harald V D!es At 89, Son Haakon Succeeds Him
Norway’s King Harald V Dies At 89, Son Haakon Succeeds Him
Norway’s King Harald V has died at the age of 89 after being hospitalised for treatment for a rare blood condition.
The Norwegian Royal Palace said Harald died peacefully at 06:35 local time on Friday at the National Hospital in Oslo. The royal flag at the palace was lowered to half-mast following his death.
Harald, who spent 35 years on the throne, is succeeded by his 53-year-old son, Crown Prince Haakon, who is expected to hold an extraordinary Council of State with the Norwegian government on Friday.
King Charles III expressed his “most heartfelt condolences”, while Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf described Harald as “a good friend” to him, his family and Sweden.
Born on 21 February 1937 near Oslo, Harald was Norway’s first king born in the country since the 14th Century. He was three years old when Nazi Germany invaded Norway during World War Two, forcing his family to flee to Sweden before travelling to the United States.
He returned to Norway after the war and became Crown Prince in 1957. He later studied social sciences, history and economics at Balliol College, Oxford, before succeeding his father, King Olav V, in 1991.
Harald became widely regarded as a popular and modernising monarch. His decision to marry Sonja Haraldsen, the daughter of a businessman, in 1968 broke royal tradition and helped make the monarchy more egalitarian.
The couple had two children, Princess Märtha Louise and Crown Prince Haakon, and remained married for almost 58 years.
Royal historian Ole-Jørgen Schulsrud-Hansen described Harald as a unifying figure who helped modernise the monarchy, including greater transparency over royal finances and health.
The king also earned a reputation as a down-to-earth monarch who maintained a close relationship with ordinary Norwegians.
One of his most significant moments came after the 2011 terrorist attacks in Oslo and Utøya, in which 77 people were killed.
Addressing the nation, Harald urged Norwegians not to allow fear to take over and called for greater solidarity.
“I can only imagine the depth of your pain. As King of this nation, I feel for each and every one of you,” he said.
In 2016, he made international headlines with a speech celebrating Norway’s diversity, saying the country was home to people of different nationalities, religions and sexual orientations.
Harald was also a keen sportsman and environmentalist. He represented Norway in sailing at three Olympic Games and was involved in establishing the Norwegian branch of the World Wide Fund for Nature.
His final years were marked by declining health and controversies involving members of his family.
Harald’s daughter-in-law, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, has faced scrutiny over her past association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, while her son, Marius Borg Høiby, was convicted in Oslo of multiple offences and sentenced to four years in prison. He has appealed the sentence.
Mette-Marit, who was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, also underwent a lung transplant this year.
Harald reduced his public engagements permanently in April 2024. He was hospitalised on 17 August after suffering complications related to haemolytic anaemia, a rare condition affecting red blood cells, with Haakon assuming his duties as regent.
He is survived by Queen Sonja, Princess Märtha Louise, King Haakon and six grandchildren.
Despite recent controversies surrounding the royal family, Harald remained personally popular, with royal observers describing him as the “People’s King” and “one of us”.
