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

Norway’s King Harald V has died at the age of 89 after being treated in hospital for a blood disorder. According to the BBC, the Royal Palace said he died peacefully at Oslo University Hospital at 6:35 a.m. on Friday, August 28.

Members of the royal family had gathered at his bedside in the final 24 hours, while crowds left flowers outside the palace in Oslo. Harald, who became king in 1991 following the death of his father, Olav V, will be succeeded by his son, Crown Prince Haakon.

Over 35 years on the throne, Harald became a widely respected and popular monarch who helped modernise Norway’s royal institution. He broke with tradition by marrying a commoner, Sonja Haraldsen, and was frequently described as a down-to-earth and unifying national figure — the “People’s king” and, in the words of royal observers, a “grandfather” of the nation.

His greatest test came after the 2011 attacks in Oslo and on the island of Utøya, when far-right extremist Anders Breivik killed eight people with a car bomb before murdering 69 more at a youth camp. Harald responded by urging Norwegians not to “let fear take over”.

In a televised address, he said: “I can only imagine the depth of your pain. As King of this nation, I feel for each and every one of you.”

Historian Ole-Jørgen Schulsrud-Hansen said the moment had become “burned into our minds of what a monarchy should be.”

Harald was also known for his advocacy of diversity. In a 2016 speech, he said Norwegians came from “Afghanistan, Pakistan and Poland, from Sweden, Somalia, and Syria,” and described a country where people “believe in God, Allah, the Universe and nothing” and “are girls who love girls, boys, who love boys, and girls and boys who love each other”.

Born on February 21, 1937, near Oslo, Harald spent part of his childhood in exile after Nazi Germany invaded Norway in 1940. His family fled to Sweden and later travelled to the United States at the invitation of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

He became crown prince in 1957 and studied social sciences, history and economics at Oxford University from 1960 to 1962. After a nine-year wait for royal approval, he married Sonja in 1968.

Harald was also an accomplished sailor, representing Norway at three Olympics, and a prominent environmentalist who helped establish the Norwegian branch of WWF.

He is survived by Queen Sonja, their daughter Princess Märtha Louise, their son Haakon and six grandchildren.

Harald’s later years were marked by declining health, and he reduced his public engagements permanently in April 2024. His reign nevertheless left behind a monarchy widely seen as more open, modern and closely connected to Norwegian society.

By Tamilla Hasanova