Norway's King Harald V dies at 89 and his son becomes King Haakon VIII

Norway’s King Harald V died on Friday at the National Hospital in Oslo at 6:35 a.m. He was 89 years old. The palace confirmed the death, noting that he had been the country’s longest‑serving monarch and the oldest reigning king in Europe. Harald’s son, Crown Prince Haakon, automatically became king, taking the regnal name Haakon VIII.

Harald ascended to the throne on 21 January 1991 after the death of his father, King Olav V. He reigned for 34 years, during which Norway enjoyed an oil‑and‑gas‑driven boom that lifted the country’s economy and raised its global profile. Throughout his reign he modernised the monarchy while retaining its largely ceremonial role in a constitutional democracy where executive power rests with an elected parliament of 5.5 million.

Born in 1937 in Asker, near Oslo, Harald was the first Norwegian prince born in Norway since 1370. He spent his early childhood in exile during the Nazi occupation of Norway. When the Germans invaded in 1940, his mother, Princess Märtha, fled with Harald and his sisters to Sweden and then to the United States, while his father and grandfather went into exile in Britain with the Norwegian government. The royal family returned to Norway in June 1945, after the war ended.

Harald’s education included public schools, the Norwegian Military College and a year at Oxford University. He was a sailor like his father, an Olympic champion in 1928, and represented Norway in several Olympic Games. In 1987 he won a gold medal at the World Championships in sailing.

In 1968, Harald married his high‑school sweetheart, Sonja Haraldsen, the daughter of a successful businessman. The wedding was celebrated nationwide and marked a turning point for the monarchy, which had previously been reluctant to accept a commoner as queen. The couple had two children: Haakon, their firstborn, and a younger daughter, Märtha Louise. In 1990 the Norwegian Constitution was amended to allow the firstborn, regardless of gender, to inherit the throne; however, the change was not applied retroactively, so Haakon remained the heir apparent.

Harald’s reign was marked by public speeches that reflected his commitment to Norway’s values. He delivered a stirring address at the memorial service for the 2011 attacks that killed 77 people, emphasizing faith in freedom, democracy and safety. In 2016 he spoke in support of LGBTQ+ rights, refugees and religious tolerance, stressing the diversity of Norwegian society. The speeches were widely viewed on social media and reinforced his image as a modern, approachable monarch.

The royal family faced relatively few scandals compared with its European counterparts. However, in early 2026 Crown Princess Mette‑Marit, Harald’s daughter‑in‑law, faced criticism over her associations with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. She apologized for the situation. At the same time, her son from a previous relationship, Marius Borg Høiby, was convicted of rape and sentenced to four years in prison. Møller had no royal duties or titles.

Harald’s health had deteriorated in his later years. He was hospitalized twice while abroad, once during a vacation in Malaysia in 2024 when he received a pacemaker, and again in February 2026 on the Spanish island of Tenerife for a skin infection. He had also been hospitalized earlier in 2024 after the abdication of Denmark’s Queen Margrethe, his second cousin, to reaffirm his commitment to the oath taken upon ascending the throne.

The Norwegian government and the royal household have not released an official statement beyond the announcement of the king’s death. The palace will conduct a state funeral, and the country will observe a period of mourning. King Haakon VIII’s accession will be formally proclaimed in the coming days, marking the end of an era and the beginning of a new chapter for the Norwegian monarchy.