King Harald V of Norway, Europe’s oldest monarch, has died at the age of 89, after 35 years on the throne.
He died on Friday just after 6:35 am, the Royal House of Norway announced on its website. His son Haakon succeeds him as monarch.
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He leaves his wife of 57 years, Queen Sonja, two children, and five grandchildren. His granddaughter Ingrid Alexandra now becomes heir to the Norwegian throne.
Harald’s death comes at a challenging time for Norway’s royal clan. Haakon’s wife, now Queen Consort Mette-Marit, has suffered health problems in recent years and was thrust into the global spotlight this year when her past contact with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein came to light.
Not long afterwards, her son from a previous relationship was convicted of rape and domestic violence and sentenced to four years in prison.
Harald was 53 years old when he ascended the throne in 1991.
At their own request, Harald and Sonja held a consecration ceremony, including traditions dating back to the Middle Ages, at Trondheim’s Nidaros Cathedral in central Norway on June 23, 1991. Following the ceremony, they conducted a 10-day tour of southern Norway, and later a 22-day tour of Norway’s four northernmost counties in 1992.
Harald, born February 21, 1937, was the youngest of three children but the only boy. At the time, the Norwegian Constitution stipulated that only male heirs could inherit the title.
Harald was just three years old when German troops invaded Norway, forcing his family, along with members of the Norwegian government, to flee to neighbouring Sweden.
After a few months there, the family left their Scandinavian haven, and Harald was taken to Washington, DC with his mother and elder sisters. Meanwhile, his grandfather – King Haakon VII – and his father Olav relocated to London until the end of the German occupation.
On June 7, 1945, following Germany’s surrender to the Allies in World War Two, Harald, aged 8, returned to Norway with the rest of the royal family and was welcomed by thousands of people on the streets of the capital, Oslo.
To emphasise the royal family’s connection with the Norwegian people and in efforts to modernise the monarchy, Harald attended a state school for his early education, where his experience, except for the guards stationed outside, was not dissimilar to that of other children.
He finished his secondary education at Oslo Cathedral School before completing his one-year mandatory military service at the Norwegian Cavalry Officers’ Training School. He went on to study social science, history and economics at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.
Sailor king
Raised on the Royal Estate of Skaugum on the inner Oslofjord outside the country’s capital, Harald enjoyed an outdoor lifestyle from early childhood.
A keen sailor, he inherited a love of water from his father, King Olav V.
The Royal House of Norway estimates that during his life he took part in more than 1,000 regattas and events, saying, “Prince Harald was 10 years old when in 1946 he competed as a crew for the first time.”
As Crown Prince, Harald represented Norway in sailing at the Summer Olympics in 1964 in Tokyo, where he was the country’s flag bearer during the opening ceremonies. He also competed at the 1968 Mexico City and the 1972 Munich Games.
Family life
Harald dated Sonja Haraldsen for nine years before King Olav V, after consultation with the Norwegian Parliament, permitted the couple to marry.
King Olav had reportedly been reluctant to allow the marriage to go ahead as the bride-to-be was a “commoner,” and is believed to have relented only when his son threatened to give up the throne.
The couple married in front of 800 guests in a lavish ceremony at Oslo Cathedral on August 29, 1968. Festivities for the union lasted three days amid celebrations around the country in honour of the pair.
They welcomed two children, a daughter, Princess Märtha Louise, in 1971 and a son – and now King – Haakon two years later. Subsequent constitutional changes in 1990 amended the accession rules to allow for the eldest child, regardless of gender, to accede to the throne.
In 2022, his daughter Princess Märtha Louise stood down from her royal duties. Harald thanked the princess “for the important efforts” she had made through her decades of official work. “She has carried out her work with care, warmth and great commitment,” he said, and decided that, although she was stepping back, she would retain her title as princess.
“All for Norway”
Harald V was the first Norwegian-born prince in 567 years.
Norway had been ruled at various points by Denmark and Sweden until becoming independent in 1905 when, through a referendum, voters decided that the country should remain a monarchy and Harald’s Danish-born grandfather Haakon VII became King.
On taking the throne, Harald, like his father and grandfather before him, adopted the motto: “We give our all for Norway.”
The King and Queen travelled extensively around the country and are thought to have visited almost all of its counties and municipalities, according to the state broadcaster NRK.
In Norway, the official duties of the sovereign are primarily ceremonial, but the monarch heads Council of State meetings on Fridays and formally opens the new session of the Norwegian Parliament each year.
The monarch is also required to rubberstamp any acts of legislation or decisions approved by the Council of State before they can be countersigned by the prime minister and enacted.
Declining health
In more recent years, Harald’s health had deteriorated. He had twice undergone heart surgery, most recently in 2020 to replace an implanted valve that had first been fitted in 2005. During both periods, his son Haakon acted as regent, fulfilling official state duties.
In September 2021, he underwent surgery to repair a damaged tendon above his right knee, and he was frequently seen using crutches following the operation.
Despite being admitted to hospital in May 2023 for a respiratory infection and needing to rest after he was discharged, the King maintained a busy diary that year, carrying out 275 engagements.
Harald was admitted to hospital during a private holiday on the Malaysian island of Langkawi a year later. He was treated for an infection and low heart rate, which required a pacemaker to be fitted, according to the Royal House of Norway.
Despite ill health, Harald carried out his royal duties until he was no longer fit.
In January 2024, following the abdication of Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II, he responded to speculation regarding retirement, reiterating that he saw his role as a life-long duty. Speaking at a press conference, he said: “I maintain what I have said all along, I have taken an oath” and “it lasts for life.”
Source: CNN
