King Harald V, Norway's reform-minded head of state, dies at 89
OSLO: Norway’s King Harald, a reformer who emerged from the shadow of his well-loved, extrovert father over more than three decades on the throne, died on Friday at the age of 89, the royal palace said, at a time of multiple crises for the Norwegian royal family. “King Harald passed away peacefully at Oslo University Hospital on Friday 28 August, 0635 (local time, 0435 GMT),” the royal palace…
Norway's King Harald V, a reform-minded head of state who ruled since 1991, passed away on Friday at the age of 89, the royal palace announced. Hospitalized for a bacterial infection since August 17, Harald breathed his last at Oslo University Hospital around 0635 local time. The monarch, Europe's oldest living sovereign, had previously undergone treatment for a blood infection during a 2024 Malaysian holiday and received a permanent pacemaker. Upon his death, Norway declared a nationwide mourning period until his funeral.
His son, Crown Prince Haakon VIII, will ascend to the throne, succeeded by his 22-year-old daughter, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra. Recent challenges to the royal family include Crown Princess Mette-Marit's scandal involving Jeffrey Epstein and her son Marius Hoiby's rape conviction. Public support for the monarchy has dipped to 60% in February 2026, down from 70% in January.
Despite the tumult, Harald remained a popular figure among Norwegians, with a 9.2 rating out of 10 for representing the royal family. Born in 1937, Harald's rule marked a modernization of the ceremonial Norwegian monarchy.
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