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Norway's King Harald dies aged 89

28 August 2026 10:50 (UTC +04:00)

Norway's King Harald V has died at the age of 89, after he was taken to hospital last week for treatment for a rare blood condition, BBC reports.

The palace in Oslo said he passed away peacefully at 06:35 local time (04:35GMT) on Friday at the national hospital in Oslo.

In the 24 hours leading up to his death, members of the royal family had visited the king, and crowds had laid flowers at the palace.

Harald was Norway's first king born in Norway since the 14th Century. He will be succeeded by his son Haakon.

After 35 years on the throne, he will be remembered as a popular and reforming figure who modernised the monarchy, broke with tradition by marrying a commoner and served as a unifying figure at Norway's most difficult moments.

Royal observers say he was down-to-earth, respected and beloved, describing him as a "grandfather" of the nation and the "People's king" - a title also used by his father King Olav V.

In the wake of the 2011 bomb and gun attacks on Oslo and the island of Utøya, Harald appealed to Norwegians to support each other and not "let fear take over".