Norway's King Harald V Dies at 89

Norway's King Harald V, a reformer who modernized the monarchy and served as a unifying national figure for over three decades, died on Friday at the age of 89. The Norwegian royal palace announced that the king passed away peacefully at Oslo University Hospital at 6:35 a.m. local time on August 28, 2026. His 53-year-old son, Crown Prince Haakon, automatically succeeds him on the throne, becoming King Haakon VIII. The palace stated it was with deep sorrow that it announced His Majesty's death. King Harald had been hospitalized since August 17 for a bacterial infection in his blood and hemolytic anemia, a condition involving the rapid destruction of red blood cells. His family, including Crown Prince Haakon, Queen Sonja, and his grandchildren, had gathered at his bedside in recent days as his condition grew extremely serious. The flag at the royal palace in Oslo was lowered to half-mast, and hundreds of people gathered outside to lay flowers and pay their respects. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said in a statement that he had received the news with deep sorrow.