King Harald V, Norway's reform-minded head of state, dead at 89
Harald was Europe's oldest living monarch
Norway's King Harald, a reformer who emerged from the shadow of his well-loved, extrovert father over more than three decades on the throne, died on Friday at the age of 89, the royal palace said, at a time of multiple crises for the Norwegian royal family.
"King Harald passed away peacefully at Oslo University Hospital on Friday 28 August, 0635 (local time, 0435 GMT)," the royal palace said on its website.
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palace → live → website
Harald, who was Europe's oldest living monarch, was taken to hospital on August 17.
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The palace said he was being treated for a bacterial infection in his blood.
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he → say → blood
In 2024, he had been hospitalized for an infection while on holiday in Malaysia and received a temporary pacemaker at a hospital there.
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He was flown back home by the Norwegian armed forces and later fitted with a permanent device.
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That same year, Harald, Norway's ceremonial head of state since 1991, said he would reduce the number of official engagements in which he took part but ruled out abdication, insisting that his oath as king was for life.
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oath → say → life
Harald's death comes at a tumultuous time for the royal family.
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Crown Princess Mette-Marit, married to Harald's son Crown Prince Haakon, is facing intense scrutiny for her friendship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a relationship for which she has apologized.
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Her son Marius Hoiby, born from a relationship predating her marriage to Haakon, was found guilty in June of two out of four counts of rape and one count of domestic violence and sentenced to four years in prison after a seven-week trial.
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Both he and the prosecution have appealed the sentence.
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Royal family under scrutiny
Two days after Marius was convicted, the palace said Mette-Marit had undergone a successful lung transplant, without specifying when the procedure took place.
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procedure → convict → place
After several weeks of recovery in hospital, she returned home and celebrated her silver wedding anniversary with Haakon in August.
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Support for the monarchy dropped to 60 per cent in February 2026, from 70 per cent the previous month, according to a Norstat poll published by public broadcaster NRK, rising slightly to 64 per cent in May.
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Harald had constantly remained popular with Norwegians.
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According to the February poll, he was the royal who best represented the Norwegian royal family, with a note of 9.2, on a scale of 1 to 10.
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Descendant of Queen Victoria
A great-great-grandchild of Britain's Queen Victoria, Harald acceded to the throne in 1991 and slowly introduced modern touches that brought a ceremonial post seen mainly as a symbol of national independence into the 21st century.
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The popular king played a crucial role comforting the nation in times of mourning.
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When far-right, anti-Islam fanatic Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 people in 2011 in Oslo and on Utoeya island, the king consoled the nation with a powerful televised speech.
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His voice trembling with emotion, he said that "freedom is stronger than fear."
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freedom → tremble → fear
After floods, storms and other disasters, he would travel to the scene wearing rubber boots and a well-worn jacket to meet those who had lost homes or loved ones.
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who → travel → homes
Late in life he spoke up for tolerance, declaring in a 2016 speech that Norwegians could have many backgrounds, beliefs and sexual orientations.
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In November 2005, Harald and his wife, Sonja Haraldsen, invited 550 Norwegians to a ball to celebrate the centenary of the country's independence from Sweden.
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Harald said in an interview at the time that Europe's royal families should not be tempted to reverse moves towards openness and retreat to their palace towers.
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"If you've opened the gate it's very difficult to close it again," he told Reuters.
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"I'm not sure I'd want to close it.
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So far so good, as far as I'm concerned."
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The Aporia
