The palace announced on Friday that Norway’s King Harald V has passed away at the age of 89. Crown Prince Haakon, his 53-year-old son, will naturally take the throne after him.
“It is with deep sadness that we announce that His Majesty King Harald passed away today. King Harald passed away peacefully at Oslo University Hospital on Friday, August 28 at 6:35 am,” (0435 GMT) the palace said in a statement.
The royal flag at the Oslo palace was lowered to half-mast, according to an AFP correspondent at the scene.
Europe’s oldest reigning monarch, King Harald, had been hospitalized in Oslo since August 17 receiving treatment for hemolytic anemia, a disorder characterized by the abnormally rapid destruction of red blood cells that causes severe fatigue and shortness of breath.
The royal family rushed to his bedside on Thursday after the palace announced that the King’s condition was “extremely serious”.
His wife, Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and their adult children spent much of Thursday by his side, with media reports noting that Haakon kept a vigil through the night.
Following news of his passing, the public flooded the palace in central Oslo for a second straight day on Friday, laying flowers on the ground and huddling in groups.
Backstory…
Following several health issues in recent years, King Harald V—who ascended the Norwegian throne in 1991—was forced to scale back his official duties and have a pacemaker installed.
Despite his physical setbacks, he consistently rejected the idea of abdication, maintaining that his oath to the Norwegian parliament was sworn for life.
His stance comes amid a challenging period for the Norwegian royal family.
In February, King Harald was hospitalized with an illness and dehydration while on a private trip to Tenerife with Queen Sonja.
His 89-year-old wife also required a brief hospital stay in May due to cardiac issues.
Meanwhile, Crown Princess Mette-Marit has faced intense public scrutiny over her past ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
