King Harald V of Norway, Europe’s oldest reigning monarch, died on Friday at the age of 89, the Royal Palace said. He passed away at the National Hospital in Oslo at 6:35 a.m.
Harald’s son automatically succeeded him as King Haakon VIII. Norway’s monarch holds a largely ceremonial position, while political power rests with the country’s elected parliament.
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Harald became king in January 1991 after the death of his father, King Olav V. During his more than three-decade reign, he modernised the royal household and remained widely popular among Norwegians. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said the nation was mourning a monarch who had devoted his life to serving Norway.
Born in 1937, Harald was three when Nazi Germany occupied Norway during World War II. He fled with his mother and sisters, first to Sweden and later to the United States, while his father and grandfather joined the Norwegian government in exile in Britain. The family returned to Norway in 1945.
A passionate sailor, Harald represented Norway at several Olympic Games and won a World Championship sailing gold medal in 1987. In 1968, he married his school sweetheart, Sonja Haraldsen, despite initially facing opposition from his father. They had two children, Haakon and Märtha Louise.
