Norwegian King Harald V has passed away at the age of 89. The monarch, who reigned for 35 years and was beloved for his humble and unifying approach, has passed the throne to his son, Crown Prince Haakon.
The Norwegian Royal Palace announced on August 28 that King Harald V died peacefully at 6:35 a.m. at Oslo University Hospital. The royal flag atop the palace was lowered to half-mast in mourning.
King Harald had been hospitalized since August 17 due to a bacterial infection in his blood. According to Yonhap News, his condition deteriorated rapidly over the weekend, and the royal family reported on August 27 that he was in extremely critical condition.
The BBC reported that King Harald had been receiving treatment for a rare blood disorder known as hemolytic anemia and had significantly reduced his official engagements since April 2024 due to declining health. During his hospitalization, Crown Prince Haakon took on the king's official duties as regent.
King Harald ascended to the throne in 1991, succeeding his father, King Olav V, and ruled Norway for 35 years. As the oldest monarch in Europe, he held no political power but served a symbolic role in uniting the nation during times of crisis.
Notably, in 2011, following the far-right extremist Anders Behring Breivik's bomb and gun attacks in Oslo and on Utøya Island that killed 77 people, King Harald urged the public to support one another and not succumb to fear. The BBC noted that his speech is remembered as a significant moment demonstrating the role of the monarchy in Norway.
King Harald also modernized royal traditions. His marriage in 1968 to Sonja Haraldsen, a commoner, lowered the barriers of the royal family, allowing his children to marry commoners as well.
In 2016, he gained attention for a speech advocating for the acceptance of diversity in religion, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. Historians and royal experts have noted that King Harald made the Norwegian royal family more transparent regarding financial and health issues, transforming it into a more egalitarian and open institution.
However, the Norwegian royal family has faced challenges recently due to controversies surrounding family members and health issues. According to the BBC, Crown Princess Mette-Marit faced scrutiny for her association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, while his son, Marius Borg Høiby, was sentenced to four years in prison for sexual assault and is appealing the verdict.
Despite these challenges, public sentiment towards King Harald remained largely positive. Local experts cited by the BBC noted that while criticism of the royal family has increased, King Harald himself faced little backlash, with the prevailing sentiment being that 'everyone loved King Harald.'
Crown Prince Haakon has now ascended as the new king. King Harald is survived by his wife, Queen Sonja, whom he was married to for nearly 58 years, their daughter Princess Märtha Louise, their son King Haakon, and six grandchildren.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.