The widely domestically respected King of Norway, King Harald V, has died aged 89 after 35 years at the head of the country’s sometimes eccentric and occasionally scandal-struck Royal family.
King Harald V died in a Oslo hospital Friday morning after a short illness. His son succeeded him to the throne and became King Haakon VIII, the fourth Norwegian king in modern history since the country became independent of its union with Sweden in 1905.
Norway is a constitutional monarchy where the King is largely a figurehead with ceremonial and legal duties. Like other such European monarchies, while the crown is technically sovereign, practically it is voters who exercise sovereignty through elections to select a legislating parliament that passes laws.
Members of Norway’s royal family (L-R) Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway and Crown Prince [now King Haakon VIII] Haakon of Norway on the balcony of the Castle in Oslo, Norway, on May 17, 2024. Norway celebrates the signing of the country’s constitution on May 17, 1814 with children’s parades and school bands across the country. (Photo by HEIKO JUNGE/NTB/AFP via Getty Images)
A change in Norwegian law means that now the new king, Haakon VIII, is on the throne the new heir apparent is not the first born son, but rather the first born. That means that all other things being equal the next monarch of Norway, years hence, will likely to be Princess Ingrid Alexandra, now 22 years old and who recently completed compulsory national military service.
The Prime Minister responded to the death of King Harald V after a short illness to say the nation had entered mourning, and that it felt deep gratitude for a King who had shown a lifelong sense of belief in Norway and its people. Mourners have gathered outside the Royal Palace in Oslo on Friday and have laid a considerable number of flowers.
Britain’s BBC notes a number of mourners present in Oslo are from the country’s relatively small immigration community. They expressed to the broadcaster that the former King made them “feel at home”, given his high profile comments in favour of migrant arrivals bringing diversity to the Scandinavian nation.
Mourners gather at a makeshift memorial of flowers to pay tribute to King Harald V of Norway who passed away, at the Royal Palace square in Oslo on August 28, 2026. King Harald V of Norway, who died on August 28, 2026 aged 89, remained a unifying figure in his country until the very end, a pillar of stability amid a string of family scandals that tarnished the final years of his reign. (Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP via Getty Images)
(Original Caption) Royal Rifleman. Near Oslo, Norway: Hereditary Prince Harald of Norway draws a bead on a target at Trandum Military Camp, near Oslo. The 19-year-old prince is serving as a dragoon in the Norwegian Cavalry. After 16 months, he’ll become a sergeant and compete with untitled soldiers to enter the War Academy. The prince, youngest of King Haakon’s four children, has not yet been granted royal funds, and his pay as a soldier is five Norwegian Crowns (about 65 cents) a day. September 24, 1956.
Beyond his constitutional role, Oxford-educated King Harald V was a keen sailor and represented Norway at several major sporting events, including three Olympic Games through the 1960s and 70s. He won gold medals for sailing at the World Championships in 1987 and European Championships in 2005.
The identity of Norway as an independent country is particularly entwined in their Royal family. Not only did the country vote to have a King after its independence from Sweden over a century ago, but its first modern King, Haakon VII, led both the Norwegian government in exile and the Norwegian resistance against the Nazi occupation in the Second World War.
The then-King Haakon’s personal cypher became the symbol for the Norwegian resistance and their motto, “Alt for Norge” [‘all for Norway’] has become the Royal motto since.
The Norwegian Royals have frequently hit the headlines. The new Queen Mette-Marit fended off negative press for her ill-advised contact with Jeffrey Epstein and her son from a previous marriage has been jailed for rape.
The new King’s sister, Princess Märtha Louise, grabbed attention worldwide for giving up on her Royal duties to marry an American “shaman”. The pair hold what are described as “alternative” views and believe they can commune with angels.
King Harald of Norway works the leward spinnacker winch as his yacht Fram XIV rounds one of the marks in the first race of the Champagne Mumm Admiral’s Cup, as the event gets underway in the Solent, off the Isle of Wight, 31 July 1997. Twenty one boats from seven countries are taking part in the event which takes place every two years. (Photo by Martin HAYHOW / AFP) (Photo by MARTIN HAYHOW/AFP via Getty Images)
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