Norway’s King Harald V has d!ed at the age of 89, after he was taken to hospital last week for treatment for a rare blood condition
The palace in Oslo said he passed away peacefully at 06:35 local time (04:35 GMT) on Friday at the national hospital in Oslo.
The royal flag on the roof of the palace has been lowered to half-mast, and a period of national mourning has been declared leading up to the day of his funeral. Crowds of mourners have streamed to the royal palace to lay flowers and flags.
Harald was Norway’s first king born in Norway since the 14th Century. He has been succeeded by his son Haakon, 53, who will hold an extraordinary council of state with the government later on Friday.
King Charles III sent his “most heartfelt condolences” at the death of his “dear cousin” – who was a second cousin to Queen Elizabeth II – while King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden remembered “a good friend to me, my family and to Sweden”, and wished his godson Haakon “success and good fortune”.
After 35 years on the throne, Harald 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.
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