Norway’s King Harald Passes Away at 89

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OSLO: Norway’s King Harald V, Europe’s oldest reigning monarch, has died peacefully at Oslo University Hospital at the age of 89, the royal palace announced Friday. His 53-year-old son, Crown Prince Haakon, automatically succeeds him on the throne.

The monarch had been hospitalised since August 17, suffering from haemolytic anaemia, a condition involving the rapid destruction of red blood cells, following years of recurring health struggles. 

Despite scaling back his official schedule in recent years, King Harald consistently ruled out abdication, maintaining that his royal oath before parliament was lifelong.

Ascending the throne in 1991, King Harald served for 35 years as a deeply revered and unifying figure. Public tributes poured in outside the central Oslo palace, with citizens laying flowers and honoring him as an inclusive, steady pillar who brought the nation together.

Following the palace announcement, flags across Oslo were lowered to half-mast as the country began mourning. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre canceled international engagements as the royal family and the Norwegian public gathered to pay their respects to the long-serving monarch.