Norway’s King Harald V dies at 89 after 35 years on the throne

• King Harald V has died aged 89 after 35 years as Norway’s monarch. He passed away peacefully in hospital in Oslo after receiving treatment for a rare blood disorder.

• His son, Crown Prince Haakon, 53, has succeeded him, following Harald’s death, with Norway beginning a period of national mourning ahead of the funeral.

• Harald leaves behind a legacy of modernising the monarchy, including his marriage to commoner Sonja Haraldsen and his emotional leadership following Norway’s 2011 terror attacks.

The Norwegian Royal Palace announced that the King died peacefully at 06:35 local time on Friday at the National Hospital in Oslo, where he had been receiving treatment for a rare blood disorder.

Following his death, the royal flag above the palace was lowered to half-mast as Norway entered a period of national mourning ahead of his funeral. Members of the public gathered outside the palace to leave flowers and Norwegian flags in tribute to the monarch.

Harald, who was born in Norway in 1937, was the first Norwegian-born king since the 14th Century.

His death means his 53-year-old son, Crown Prince Haakon, has succeeded him as king. Haakon was expected to chair an extraordinary Council of State with the Norwegian government later on Friday.

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Harald ascended the throne in 1991 following the death of his father, King Olav V. Over the next three decades, he became one of Norway’s most recognisable and popular public figures.

He was particularly noted for challenging some of the traditional conventions surrounding European royalty.

His decision to marry Sonja Haraldsen, a commoner and the daughter of a businessman, was considered a significant break from royal tradition. The couple had been in a relationship for several years before Harald was eventually given permission by his father to marry her.

The couple wed at Oslo Cathedral on 29 August 1968 after Harald reportedly made it clear that he would remain unmarried if he could not marry Sonja.

Their marriage later helped pave the way for their own children to marry people outside royal circles.

Royal historian and commentator Tove Taalesen described Harald as “one of us”, while royal expert Caroline Vagle said he had “always been very close to the people”.

She added:

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Historian and TV2 royal correspondent Ole-Jørgen Schulsrud-Hansen also told the BBC that Harald's reign had helped make the Norwegian monarchy more egalitarian, particularly in its approach to issues such as finances and health.

One of Harald’s most defining moments came in the aftermath of the 2011 terrorist attacks in Oslo and on Utøya.

On 22 July that year, far-right extremist Anders Behring Breivik killed eight people in a bombing in central Oslo before travelling to Utøya, where he murdered 69 people, many of them teenagers attending a youth camp.

The tragedy presented Harald with one of the most difficult challenges of his reign.

In an emotional televised address, he appealed to Norwegians to stand together rather than allow fear to divide the country.

He said, his voice breaking as he addressed the victims and their families;

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Schulsrud-Hansen later described the moment as a defining example of the role a modern monarchy could play in times of national crisis.

He said;

Harald also became known for his progressive views on diversity.

In a widely praised speech in 2016, he spoke about Norway as a country made up of people from different ethnicities, religions and backgrounds. He highlighted immigrants from countries including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Poland, Somalia and Syria, while also speaking openly about sexual diversity.

Harald was born on 21 February 1937 at the Skaugum estate near Oslo.

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He was only three years old when Nazi Germany invaded Norway during the Second World War. His mother, Crown Princess Märtha, fled the country with her children, first travelling to Sweden before eventually going to the United States following an invitation from President Franklin D Roosevelt.

Harald returned to Norway with his family after the war and continued his education before completing compulsory military service.

Following his father's accession to the throne, Harald became Crown Prince in 1957.

Between 1960 and 1962, he studied social sciences, history and economics at Balliol College, Oxford.

His passion for sailing also became a major part of his life. Harald represented Norway in sailing at three Olympic Games and was regarded as an accomplished sailor.

He was also involved in environmental causes and helped establish the Norwegian branch of the World Wide Fund for Nature, later serving as its president for two decades.

Harald met Sonja Haraldsen at a party and developed a relationship with her despite the fact that she was not from a royal family.

The couple's romance lasted for nine years before they were finally allowed to marry.

Harald later said that he told his father he would remain single if he was prevented from marrying Sonja.

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King Olav eventually approved the union, and the couple married in 1968.

Sonja subsequently became Queen of Norway when Harald took the throne.

Their marriage also influenced the next generation of the Norwegian royal family. When Crown Prince Haakon married Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby in 2001, the royal couple welcomed her four-year-old son, Marius Borg Høiby, into the family.

However, the royal household later stressed that Høiby was never a member of the Norwegian royal family.

Despite Harald's popularity, the Norwegian royal family experienced several controversies in his later years.

His daughter, Princess Märtha Louise, attracted considerable attention after marrying American self-described shaman Durek Verrett in 2024. Her commercial activities with Verrett had already led to her stepping back from official royal duties.

More recently, the royal household came under pressure over allegations involving Marius Borg Høiby, who was convicted of multiple offences, including rape, and sentenced to four years in prison. He has appealed the sentence.

Mette-Marit also faced scrutiny over her past association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after documents revealed that she had maintained contact with him.

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She subsequently apologised to King Harald and Queen Sonja and acknowledged what she described as “poor judgement” over the relationship.

The controversy came at a particularly difficult time for Mette-Marit, who underwent a lung transplant shortly after her son's trial ended. She had previously been diagnosed with a rare form of pulmonary fibrosis.

Harald's health had deteriorated significantly in the final years of his reign.

He reduced his public engagements permanently in April 2024 and experienced several health problems, including treatment with cortisone for haemolytic anaemia, a rare condition affecting red blood cells.

He was admitted to hospital on 17 August, with Crown Prince Haakon assuming the role of regent and taking over his father's official responsibilities.

After 35 years as Norway's monarch, Harald's reign has now come to an end.

His supporters are likely to remember him not only as a constitutional monarch but also as a king who brought a more personal and less formal character to the Norwegian monarchy.

King Charles III paid tribute to Harald, describing him as his “dear cousin” and offering his “most heartfelt condolences”.

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Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf also remembered Harald as “a good friend to me, my family and to Sweden”, while wishing his godson, the new King Haakon, “success and good fortune”.

Harald is survived by Queen Sonja, to whom he was married for almost 58 years, their daughter Princess Märtha Louise, their son King Haakon, and six grandchildren.