Norway’s King Harald dies at 89

Norway's King Harald V has died at the age of 89. According to the Royal House, he passed away peacefully at Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, at 6:35am on Friday, August 28, after 11 days in hospital. He had been treated for haemolytic anaemia before developing a bacterial infection in his bloodstream, as reported by Euro Weekly News.

King Harald was born in 1937 in Asker, near Oslo. During World War II, he went into exile in the United States as a child during the Nazi occupation of Norway. He later married his school sweetheart, rather than marrying one of the several European noblewomen he was offered. He became king in January 1991 after the death of his father, King Olav V, and reigned for 35 years.

Crown Prince Haakon now succeeds King Harald as king, taking on the title of King Haakon. The Norwegian monarch serves a largely symbolic role, with real power resting with the elected parliament in the democracy of 5.5 million people.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch Nigeria, Euro Weekly News, Free Press Journal, NPR, Malay Mail — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.