Chicago – August 28, 2026
Norway’s King Harald V, Europe’s oldest reigning monarch and a widely respected symbol of national unity, has died at the age of 89. The royal palace announced that the king passed away peacefully at Oslo University Hospital on Friday, 28 August, at 6:35 a.m. local time.
Succession and national mourning
Crown Prince Haakon, 53, automatically succeeded his father and will reign as King Haakon VIII, the palace confirmed. Following the announcement, hundreds gathered outside the royal palace in Oslo to lay flowers, while the government declared a period of national mourning until after the king’s funeral.
Final illness and legacy
King Harald had been hospitalized since 17 August with haemolytic anaemia, a rare blood condition that causes fatigue and shortness of breath.
Over a 35-year reign beginning in 1991, he modernized the monarchy, championed simplicity and humility, and became known as the “sailing king” who married a commoner, Queen Sonja. His death marks the end of an era for Norway, where he was admired as a steady, reform-minded head of state.
