Norway’s King Harald V Dies at 89
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RIYADH, August 28 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) - Norway’s King Harald V, who brought greater openness to the country’s monarchy during more than three decades on the throne, died on Friday at the age of 89, the royal palace said.
“King Harald passed away peacefully at Oslo University Hospital on Friday 28 August, 0635 (local time, 0435 GMT).”
Harald had been admitted to hospital on August 17 and was receiving treatment for a bacterial infection in his blood. The palace did not provide a separate cause-of-death statement.
Crown Prince Haakon, 53, will succeed his father as Norway’s fourth king since the country gained independence from Sweden in 1905.
Harald became king in 1991 and gradually introduced a more open approach to a ceremonial institution closely connected to Norway’s national identity. In a 2005 interview with Reuters, he rejected the idea that royal families should retreat from public openness.
“If you’ve opened that gate it’s very difficult to close it again. I’m not sure I’d want to close it. So far so good, as far as I’m concerned.”
The king addressed Norway during periods of national mourning. After Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 people in Oslo and on Utoeya island in 2011, Harald told the country that “freedom is stronger than fear.” He also visited communities affected by floods, storms and other disasters.
Born on February 21, 1937, Harald was the first royal heir born in Norway in almost 570 years. After Nazi Germany invaded Norway in 1940, he left the country with his mother, Crown Princess Martha, and his sisters, living first in Sweden and later in the United States. He returned to Norway after the Second World War and attended state schools.
His marriage to Sonja Haraldsen in 1968 broke with royal tradition and followed a nine-year dispute with his father over his decision to marry a commoner.
Harald was also a sailor who competed in several Olympic Games and captained his boat to a world championship title. His environmental interests included a visit to the Yanomami people in the Brazilian Amazon at the age of 76.
His death came during a period of scrutiny involving Crown Princess Mette-Marit and her son Marius Hoiby. Support for the monarchy stood at 60% in a February Norstat poll published by public broadcaster NRK and rose to 65% in May. Harald received the highest rating among members of the royal family in the February survey, at 9.2 out of 10.
Harald reduced his official engagements in 2024 but rejected abdication, saying his oath as king was for life.
Source: Reuters
