OSLO, Norway – Norway‘s King Harald died at the age of 89 at Oslo University Hospital on Friday, August 28, at 6:35 am (0435 GMT / 5:35 am WAT), leading his 53-year-old son, Crown Prince Haakon, to automatically succeed him on the throne.
The Royal Palace announced the death in an official statement released on Friday. Okay News reports that the Royal Palace confirmed King Harald passed away peacefully at the hospital. In its statement, the palace said, “It is with deep sadness that we announce that His Majesty King Harald passed away today. King Harald passed away peacefully at Oslo University Hospital on Friday, August 28 at 6:35 am.”
King Harald had been hospitalized in Oslo since August 17 suffering from haemolytic anaemia, a condition caused by an abnormally rapid destruction of red blood cells leading to fatigue and shortness of breath. The royal family gathered at his bedside on Thursday after the palace announced that his condition had become extremely serious. His wife, Queen Sonja, along with Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and their adult children, spent much of Thursday at the hospital.
King Harald ascended the throne in 1991 and had consistently ruled out abdicating, stating that he took a lifelong oath before the Norwegian Parliament. Norway’s Prime Minister, Jonas Gahr Store, canceled a planned work trip to Germany early on Thursday due to the king’s deteriorating health. Following the announcement on Friday, the flag at the royal palace in Oslo was lowered to half-Public gatherings took place outside the royal palace in central Oslo for a second straight day on Friday, where citizens laid flowers on the ground. Kaspara Bolstad, 24, said King Harald was “a very steady and warm king” and said, “I think the entire Norwegian people see him as a role model and as someone who brings people together. Whether you’re for or against the monarchy, I think he’s well-liked across the board,” Another citizen, Magnus Skaugseth, 27, said, “He was so inclusive and committed to having values that are inclusive in the society we live in today. When there is so much division and polarisation, he was a pillar pointing in the opposite direction.”
The monarch’s death follows multiple health issues and family developments over the past year. In February, King Harald was hospitalized for an infection and dehydration in Tenerife during a private trip with Queen Sonja, who was herself briefly admitted to the hospital in May due to heart problems. Crown Princess Mette-Marit, 53, underwent a lung transplant in July for a serious lung disease, following public scrutiny over documents published in January in the United States revealing correspondence between 2011 and 2014 with late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Additionally, her son from a prior relationship, Marius Borg Hoiby, was sentenced in June to four years in prison after being convicted on 32 charges, including two rapes, and has appealed the verdict.
