Norway’s King Harald V dies
Norway’s King Harald V has died at the age of 89 at the National Hospital in Oslo. He passed away peacefully at 06:35 local time on Friday, the royal palace said. Last week, the monarch was hospitalized for treatment of a rare blood disorder, BBC News World reports.
The throne will be inherited by the late monarch’s son, Haakon. During the day before Harald V’s death, members of the royal family visited him, while people left flowers outside the palace in Oslo.
35 years on the throne
Harald V became king on January 17, 1991, following the death of his father, King Olav V. He was the first Norwegian king born in Norway since the 14th century. Over his 35-year reign, royal commentators say, he helped modernize the monarchy and made it more egalitarian and open on issues of finances and health.
In 1968, he married Sonja Haraldsen, the daughter of a businessman. Before that, the crown prince waited nine years for his father’s permission to marry, as King Olav had hoped his son would marry a European princess. This marriage marked a departure from tradition and later paved the way for his children to marry people of non-aristocratic background.
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Address to the nation and sport
One of the most difficult trials of his reign was the attacks in Oslo and on the island of Utøya in July 2011. Neo-Nazi Anders Breivik killed eight people with a car bomb in Oslo and later shot dead 69 people at a youth camp on Utøya. Harald V called on Norwegians to support one another and not allow fear to prevail.
In 2016, the king spoke in support of religious, ethnic and sexual diversity in Norway. He was also an experienced sailor, represented the country at the Olympic Games three times, and in 2022 announced his retirement from competitive sailing.
Due to deteriorating health, Harald V permanently reduced the number of public engagements in April 2024. He is survived by his wife, Queen Sonja, daughter Princess Märtha Louise, son Haakon, and six grandchildren.
