Harald V Dies as Norway Says Farewell to a King Who Defined an Era
John Merolla
Life News Today
King Harald V of Norway died on Friday, August 28, 2026, at the age of 89, after more than 35 years on the throne. His life was marked by World War II, exile, Olympic competition and a marriage that, at the time, challenged the conventions of royalty.
Harald died at 6:35 a.m. at Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, where he had been admitted on August 17 after corticosteroid treatment for hemolytic anemia caused fluid retention. Doctors later detected bacteria in his blood and began treating him with antibiotics, but his health continued to deteriorate. Despite the treatment, Harald died days later, and the Royal House announced that he had died peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones.
Tributes began shortly afterward in cities across Norway, as flags were lowered to half-staff. The government declared a period of national mourning, and Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre particularly recalled the monarch’s sense of humor, warmth and trust in the Norwegian people. The Armed Forces, of which Harald was commander-in-chief, also honored him with a 21-gun salute and a minute of silence. The state funeral is scheduled for September 9 at Oslo Cathedral, before his burial at Akershus Fortress.
Harald V was born on February 21, 1937, in Skaugum, Norway, and was the first heir to the Norwegian throne born in the country in approximately six centuries. His childhood was marked by one of the most difficult periods in European history. He was just three years old when Germany invaded Norway during World War II and his family was forced into exile. Harald spent nearly five years of his childhood in exile, much of it in the United States, before returning to Norway with his family in 1945, following the end of the German occupation. In time, he received an education designed to prepare him to become monarch and studied at the University of Oslo and Oxford. He also developed a great passion for sailing and represented Norway in three Olympic Games as a sailor. His passion for the sport became one of the best-known aspects of his personality and helped project the image of a king who was approachable, active and removed from the rigidity traditionally associated with some European monarchies.
One of the most important episodes in his personal life was his relationship with Sonja Haraldsen, a woman from a non-aristocratic background. The couple maintained a relationship for several years before marrying in 1968, after finally receiving the approval of King Olav V. The marriage was considered an unconventional decision within the royal family at the time, but over the decades Harald and Sonja became one of the best-known couples in the Norwegian monarchy. Queen Sonja, also 89, survives her husband. Harald’s death came just one day before the couple would have celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary, an especially poignant circumstance after nearly six decades of marriage. They had two children: Princess Märtha Louise and Prince Haakon, who automatically became the new king upon his father’s death. His wife, Mette-Marit, became the new Queen of Norway at the same time.
Harald ascended the throne in January 1991 following the death of his father, Olav V. During his reign, he helped modernize the image of the monarchy. Although his duties were primarily ceremonial and constitutional, he used his position to represent the country abroad and stand alongside its citizens during times of crisis. One of the most memorable examples came after the 2011 attacks, when Harald delivered speeches defending an open, tolerant and democratic society. He also publicly championed diversity and equality, helping establish an image of the Crown as less distant and more connected to society. That closeness was particularly evident in a speech delivered in 2016, when Harald spoke of a diverse Norway where citizens of different backgrounds, religions and ways of life lived together. His words, in which he explicitly included immigrants, people of different religions and different sexual orientations, were widely shared both within Norway and abroad and reinforced his image as a monarch willing to adapt a centuries-old institution to a changing society. His popularity remained high throughout much of his reign, even as the monarchy itself occasionally became the subject of political debate.
Harald V’s death opened a new chapter for the Norwegian monarchy. His son, Haakon, 53, immediately assumed the throne under the name Haakon VIII. Haakon will take the oath before the Norwegian Parliament on September 1, although he will not be crowned, as Norway abandoned coronation ceremonies more than a century ago. The new king begins his reign at a complicated time for the royal family, recently marked by the criminal conviction of Marius Borg Høiby, the new queen’s son from a previous relationship, and revelations about Mette-Marit’s past ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
For Norway, Harald’s death represents the end of an era. For more than 35 years, he was the face of the Crown and accompanied the country through periods of prosperity, national tragedies and profound social change. He leaves behind a more modern monarchy that is closer to its citizens, as well as an approach to the Crown that combined tradition with openness. His death closes a chapter in Norway’s contemporary history and leaves a new generation of the royal family with the task of writing the next one.
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