King Harald of Norway dies aged 89 after difficult health battle
King Harald was the eldest monarch in Europe.
King Harald V of Norway has sadly died at the age of 89 after a long battle with illness, the Norwegian Royal Family have announced. The King succeeded to the throne in 1991 following the death of his father, King Olav V and was the oldest reigning monarch in Europe.
He has been succeeded by his son, who is now King Haakon VIII. His wife is the new Queen Mette-Marit, and the new heir to the throne is 22-year-old Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, who will one day be Norway's first Queen Regnant after absolute primogeniture rules changed to allow female royals in the line of succession to rule.
In a statement, the Norwegian Royal Court announced that the King had passed away at Rikshospitalet in Oslo. It reads: "It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of His Majesty King Harald today. King Harald passed away peacefully at the National Hospital on Friday, August 28, at 6.35am."
The late monarch, who had suffered from ill-health since 2003, was first admitted to hospital after doctors became concerned about side effects from his treatment for haemolytic anaemia. The King was receiving treatment for this condition, which then saw him develop fluid retention.
As a result, he required further hospital treatment. It then emerged on Sunday that the royal had seen a deterioration in his health after developing a bacterial infection in his blood.
However, the "stable" condition he was in just a few days ago quickly changed when the Norwegian Royal Court announced on Thursday morning that the monarch’s condition was “very serious.”
The late King's family rushed to the hospital
Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit pictured visiting the hospital
King Harald was visited at Rikshospitalet hospital several times in recent days by his son and daughter-in-law, the former Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit.
On Thursday morning, King Harald's wife, Queen Sonja, was pictured arriving with the late King's elder sister, Princess Astrid, the Crown Prince and Princess and their children, Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus. The King's daughter, Princess Martha Louise, was also present at her father's bedside, her agent confirmed.
His step-grandson, Marius Borg Hoiby, who has been released from jail under house arrest after being charged with four counts of rape, was also seen visiting the hospital in a prison van. It was reported he was wearing an ankle monitor.
The former King's death comes days after the new King and Queen celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary.
Flowers were laid by wellwishers outside the Royal Palace
It has been a difficult year for the Norwegian Royal Family as Mette-Marit has faced her own health scares this year when her chronic pulmonary fibrosis reached a life-threatening stage. She received a lung transplant earlier this year, which she is still recovering from.
As well as seeing her son charged with rape, she also found herself embroiled in the Epstein Files scandal when emails she sent to the convicted sex offender were included in the avalanche of documents released by the US Department of Justice.
Shortly before the monarch's death was announced, a cherry picker could be seen putting black banners up at The Royal Palace in Oslo as crowds of mourners began to gather and lay flowers on the ground outside.
Crowds stood and watched as each branch of the Norwegian military, as well as horses and musicians, marched around outside the Palace.
King Harald sat during his meeting with Prime Minister Modi in May
King Harald V pictured with his father, King Olav V in the 1950s
King Harald and Queen Sonja married in 1968 (Image: Getty)
King Harald was born on February 21, 1937, during the reign of his grandfather, King Haakon VII. He was the first Norwegian-born monarch to inherit the throne since Olav IV over 600 years ago in 1380.
Harald married Sonja Haraldsen in 1968. As she was a commoner, Harald's father was reluctant to allow the marriage to take place; however, he told him that if he couldn't marry Sonja, he wouldn't marry at all, which would have ended the reign of his family and the Norwegian monarchy.
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The couple had two children, Princess Märtha Louise and King Haakon VIII. He was the grandfather of the future Queen, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, and of Prince Sverre Magnus and Martha Louise's children, Maud, Leah and Emma Behn.
It has not yet been confirmed when his funeral will take place, although several Norwegian monarchs have been buried in the Royal Mausoleum in Oslo.
