King Harald V of Norway, Europe's oldest reigning monarch, died on Friday at the age of 89, passing away peacefully in his sleep at Oslo University Ho
King Harald V of Norway, Europe’s oldest reigning monarch, died on Friday at the age of 89, passing away peacefully in his sleep at Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet just after 6:35 a.m. local time, the Royal House of Norway announced.
His health had deteriorated sharply after he was admitted to hospital on August 17 with fluid accumulation in the body caused by corticosteroid treatment for haemolytic anaemia, and he later developed an infection.
Harald ascended the throne in 1991 at age 53 following the death of his father, King Olav V, and reigned for 35 years over a nation of 5.5 million during an oil-and-gas-driven economic boom, in a role that, like other European monarchies, remained largely symbolic while real power rested with an elected parliament.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said the whole nation was in mourning, crediting Harald with helping Norwegians “see the best in ourselves — and in one another” over more than three decades on the throne.
Norway’s parliament, the Storting, said his reign was marked by a closeness to the people through the unifying way he carried out his royal duties.
Tributes also arrived from abroad: Britain’s King Charles said his family was mourning a friend whose kindness and deep sense of duty echoed across the decades, while Denmark’s King Frederik and Queen Mary remembered him as a man with a twinkle in his eye and a big heart.
Norway has declared a period of mourning, with flags at royal residences, government buildings and military installations flying at half-mast, and church bells rang out Friday as thousands lined Oslo’s streets to watch his coffin transported to the Royal Palace.
Harald is succeeded by his son, now King Haakon VIII, with Haakon’s daughter, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, becoming heir to the Norwegian throne.
He leaves behind his wife of 57 years, Queen Sonja, two children and five grandchildren.
The succession comes at a difficult moment for the royal family: Haakon’s wife, now Queen Consort Mette-Marit, has faced health problems in recent years and was drawn into international scrutiny this year after her past contact with the late Jeffrey Epstein came to light, while her son from a previous relationship was separately convicted of rape and domestic violence and sentenced to four years in prison.
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