Norway’s King Harald V has died at the age of 89, the royal palace in Oslo announced on Friday (August 28), paving the way for his son, Crown Prince Haakon, to succeed him as monarch under the name King Haakon VIII.
“It is with deep sadness that we announce that His Majesty King Harald passed away today,” the palace said in a statement. “King Harald passed away peacefully at Oslo University Hospital on Friday, August 28 at 6:35 am.”
The palace had said on Thursday (August 27) that Harald’s health had deteriorated and that he was in an “extremely serious” condition. His wife, Queen Sonja, and Crown Prince Haakon, who had already been serving as regent, cancelled their scheduled engagements.
Harald, who became Norway’s ceremonial head of state in 1991, was Europe’s oldest reigning monarch. He had been receiving treatment at Oslo University Hospital since August 17 for haemolytic anaemia, a condition in which red blood cells are destroyed faster than they can be replaced.
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The monarch had faced several health problems in recent years. He underwent surgery for bladder cancer in 2003 and had a pacemaker fitted in 2024. Despite his health struggles, Harald repeatedly ruled out abdication, saying he had taken a lifelong oath before Norway’s parliament.
Succession Comes Amid Royal Controversy
Harald’s death comes at a particularly turbulent time for Norway’s royal family, with Haakon’s wife, now Queen Consort Mette-Marit, facing scrutiny over her past association with Jeffrey Epstein, the late US sex offender.
Documents released in the US in January showed that Mette-Marit had corresponded with Epstein between 2011 and 2014, years after his conviction. The files reportedly contained almost 1,000 references to Mette-Marit, including exchanges described as intimate.
The revelations triggered criticism in Norway, with Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre accusing the crown princess of showing “poor judgment” in unprecedented comments.