Norway's King Harald V dies at 89, son Haakon becomes King

King Harald V of Norway died on Friday at the National Hospital in Oslo at 6:35 a.m., aged 89. The monarch, who had reigned since 1991, was Europe’s oldest sitting king and was succeeded automatically by his son, Crown Prince Haakon, who now assumes the title King Haakon VIII.

Harald was born in 1937 and spent part of his childhood in exile in the United States after Nazi Germany occupied Norway in 1940. He later returned to Norway, attended public schools, the Norwegian military college and Oxford University, and represented the country in sailing at several Olympic Games, winning a world championship in 1987.

In 1968, Harald married his school sweetheart Sonja Haraldsen after rejecting a series of proposed matches with European nobility. The couple had two children, Crown Prince Haakon and Princess Märtha Louise. Harald’s reign was marked by efforts to modernize the monarchy while maintaining its symbolic role in Norway’s parliamentary democracy.

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said the nation was in mourning and expressed gratitude for Harald’s “more than three decades as monarch” and his “unwavering faith in the Norwegian people.”

The royal family has faced recent scrutiny over personal scandals involving Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s past associations and a criminal conviction of her son from a previous relationship, as well as former Princess Märtha Louise’s unconventional public statements. Harald, who had previously spoken publicly on issues such as LGBTQ+ rights and religious tolerance, remained a popular figure despite these controversies.

Harald’s death follows a period of declining health that included hospitalizations abroad and the installation of a pacemaker in 2024.