King Harald V of Norway, cousin of King Charles III, has died at the age of 89 after a short spell in hospital. Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, Harald had been Europe’s oldest reigning monarch. He had sat on the Norwegian throne since 17 January 1991.

The 89-year-old king had been receiving treatment at Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, for haemolytic anaemia, a disorder in which red blood cells are destroyed at an unusually fast rate.

Norway's royal anthem plays on television accompanied by a montage of images following the news that King Harald has died aged 89. pic.twitter.com/VmSECp92q6

— Royal Central (@RoyalCentral) August 28, 2026

The palace had announced that his health deteriorated after he developed an infection, with members of the Norwegian royal family rushing to his side on Thursday.

“It is with deep sorrow that we announce that His Majesty King Harald has passed away,” the Norwegian royal court said in a statement. “King Harald died peacefully at Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, on Friday 28 August at 06:35.”

Kong Harald 1937 – 2026

🎥 Det Norske Kongehus pic.twitter.com/IktgY4ZpAu

— ChristinZ (@ChristinsQueens) August 28, 2026

The throne now passes to Crown Prince Haakon, who is expected to take the name Haakon VIII.

King Charles‘s farewell to his “dear cousin” was especially poignant. In a personal message posted on the royal family’s social media accounts, Charles reflected on Harald’s life, writing: “It was with the deepest sadness that my wife and I learned of the death of my much loved cousin, King Harald V of Norway. For 35 years, King Harald served his people with unwavering dedication, guiding Norway through periods of great change with warmth and humility. As Norway mourns the loss of such an imposing figure, my whole family joins in remembering a much loved relative and friend, whose kindness, compassion and deep sense of duty resonated across the sea and through the decades.”

A message from The King following the demise of King Harald V of Norway. pic.twitter.com/8wnLWHDPBG

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) August 28, 2026

Childhood and the flight from the Nazis

Harald was born on 21 February 1937, the third child and only son of King Olav V of Norway and Princess Märtha of Sweden.

He was a great-grandson of King Edward VII of Britain, and his godparents included Queen Mary and her son, King George VI, grandmother and father respectively of the future Queen Elizabeth II.

His early years were marked by the Second World War. In April 1940, when Harald was just three years old, Nazi Germany invaded Norway. Harald and his two older sisters, Ragnhild and Astrid, were taken out of the country along with their mother and initially took refuge in Sweden.

King Harald of Norway died the day before the anniversary of his wedding to Queen Sonja.

Harald V and Queen Sonja married on August 29th 1968 in Oslo.

Harald was Crown Prince, Sonja was a ''commoner'' and opposition was fierce. Harald said he would never marry if he couldn't… pic.twitter.com/cBR2KqrB9j

— Royal Central (@RoyalCentral) August 28, 2026

At the same time, Harald’s father and grandfather, then King Haakon VII, remained in Norway while Norwegian forces resisted the German invasion. In June, however, they too were forced to flee, taking refuge in London with the exiled Norwegian government. In August 1940, the young Harald, his mother and his sisters travelled to the United States, where they remained until the end of the war, living in Washington.

Crown Prince Olav and King Haakon were initially hosted at Buckingham Palace. In one memorable episode, the young Princess Elizabeth found the two Norwegian royals sleeping on the floor of the royal shelter during an air raid.

In a letter to her grandmother, Queen Mary, Elizabeth remarked that although she was glad to have them to stay, it was “a little tiring never to be alone.”

In June 1945, after the defeat of Nazi Germany, the now seven-year-old Prince Harald returned to Norway with his family. During the five years of occupation, the royal palace had been turned into a prison, and the Norwegian population had endured severe hardship.

The loss of his mother and his military training

In 1954, nine years after the family’s return to Norway, Harald’s mother died of cancer. The prince was just 17 at the time. He later named his first daughter Martha, in her memory.

Three years later, King Haakon VII also died, at the age of 85, after almost 52 years on the throne.

Harald then became heir to the throne. He studied at the University of Oslo and also attended the Norwegian Military Academy, from which he graduated in 1959. It was at his graduation ball that he first appeared with the woman who would later become his wife.

Love for Sonja and conflict with the palace

Earlier that same year, Harald had met Sonja Haraldsen, the daughter of a textile merchant from Oslo. The fact that Sonja was not of noble birth caused a stir within the royal family.

The couple initially kept their relationship secret. When it became public, however, the palace insisted for years that the two of them would not be permitted to marry.

Harald eventually threatened to remain unmarried for the rest of his life if he was not allowed to marry the woman he loved. His father relented and gave his consent.

The couple married in 1968 at Oslo Cathedral, after both had studied in England. Sonja had read English at Cambridge, while Harald attended Balliol College, Oxford, where he studied Politics, Philosophy and Economics.

Between 1960 and 1962 he had also studied history, economics and politics at Oxford. A great admirer of Britain, he took up rowing, though his real sporting passion was sailing. He represented Norway at the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 1964, Mexico City in 1968 and Munich in 1972.

BREAKING:

Norway’s King Harald has died at the age of 89.

This video shows Norwegians gathering yesterday in front of the Royal Palace when they heard that the King’s condition is critical

🇳🇴 pic.twitter.com/wQFJgHD4AM

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) August 28, 2026

Family life and the accession to the throne

Harald and Sonja’s first child, Princess Märtha Louise, was born in 1971. A year later, Prince Haakon was born.

Haakon, however, had to wait several decades before becoming first in line to the throne, as his father did not ascend the throne until January 1991, at the age of 53.

Harald’s close ties with the British royal family remained strong throughout his life. In 1996, he visited Sandringham for a weekend’s shooting, while in 1998 he was among around 250 guests at Highgrove for the 50th birthday of the then Prince Charles.

In 2011, he was among dozens of European royals who attended the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, and a year later he attended the lunch marking Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee.

The close relationship between the Norwegian and British royal families was also reflected in Elizabeth’s three state visits to Norway, in 1955, 1981 and 2001.

King Haakon VIII arrives at the Royal Palace to Chair an Extraordinary Council of State Meeting to formally announce the death of King Harald V pic.twitter.com/3eSU4AhXuh

— Imperial Material ♚ (@implmaterial) August 28, 2026

Family controversies and the Epstein case

Like other European royal families, Harald’s family was at times at the centre of controversy.

In recent months, the Norwegian royal family had been shaken by the case concerning the king’s daughter-in-law, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and her ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

Mette-Marit came under intense criticism after material from the Epstein files revealed that she had stayed at the convicted financier’s Palm Beach estate in 2013, after his conviction for offences against underage girls. One email reportedly suggested she remained in contact with him a few months before his death.

Mette-Marit, who has been diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, later apologised, saying the emails “do not represent the person I want to be.”

Harald had publicly defended his daughter-in-law, pointing out that she had done nothing illegal and had cut off contact with Epstein relatively early on.

🇳🇴 Mourners lay flowers at Norway palace following King Harald's death

Dozens of people gather to lay flowers and pay respects outside Norway's royal palace to honour King Harald V, who died age 89. pic.twitter.com/eRiVIeu7IW

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) August 28, 2026

His connection with Greece

King Harald maintained both diplomatic and family ties with Greece, most notably during the official state visit he made to the country in December 2012 together with Queen Sonja.

During their visit to Athens, King Harald and Queen Sonja toured, among other sites, the Acropolis, and also attended a reception held at a central hotel.

As with many European royal families, Harald was related, albeit distantly, to members of the former Greek royal family through shared dynastic lines, and in particular through the wider House of Glücksburg.

In the 1960s, while still crown prince of Norway, he was at times linked by the European society press as a possible future husband for Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark. The rumours were never confirmed, and Harald went on to marry Sonja Haraldsen in 1968.

This is why I and many had so much respect for the late King Harald V.

This short clip from a recent speech of his shows a dignity, an openness and a sense of humour and service that epitomised the late King. pic.twitter.com/vL2Mz3RglY

— Dr. Jacob Kalve ✡️ (@PeterKalve) August 28, 2026

Health problems in recent years

Harald’s final years were marked by a series of health problems, which at times forced him to step back from his royal duties.

On 17 August, he was rushed to hospital with haemolytic anaemia, a condition in which red blood cells are destroyed at an excessively fast rate and which can cause fatigue, pallor and breathing difficulties.

Two years earlier, he had suffered a serious health scare during a trip to Malaysia, which resulted in him being fitted with a pacemaker.

Despite his health problems, Harald insisted he would never abdicate. He had said that he had sworn an oath before the Storting, Norway’s parliament, and that the oath was for life.

On 23 August, the palace announced that his health had worsened over the weekend. “His Majesty the King is receiving antibiotic treatment for a bacterial infection in the blood and has responded to treatment,” the statement said at the time.

Shortly afterwards, it emerged that the king would remain away from his duties for at least two weeks. The palace also said that in the preceding weeks he had been given cortisone for his haemolytic anaemia, a treatment that caused fluid retention and made hospitalisation necessary.

In February, the 89-year-old monarch had also been rushed to hospital while in Tenerife with his wife, Queen Sonja. He had been treated then for an infection and dehydration, with his condition described as “satisfactory.”

The deterioration in his health in recent days proved irreversible, however. King Harald V died on the morning of Friday 28 August in Oslo, bringing to a close a reign that lasted more than 35 years.

Norway's King Harald has died aged 89, the royal palace said on August 28. Haakon VIII becomes king of Norway. Oslo bureau chief Gwladys Fouche explains what happens next and some facts about the passing of the crown https://t.co/ToQvYtHZAJ https://t.co/1XlI4zKLwF pic.twitter.com/MXFpXRC24H

— Reuters (@Reuters) August 28, 2026