King Harald V of Norway, who went into exile in the United States as a child during the Nazi occupation of his homeland and refused a string of European noblewomen in order to marry his school sweetheart, has died. He was 89, reports BritPanorama.
The royal palace announced that he passed away at the National Hospital in Oslo on Friday at 6:35 a.m. local time.
As Europe’s oldest monarch, Harald modernized the royal house yet decided not to follow the trend of other aging monarchs who have abdicated recently. Following his death, his son is now set to become King Haakon VIII.
Norwegian monarchs, like their European counterparts, play a largely symbolic role, enjoying celebrity status while actual power rests with an elected parliament in the democratic nation of 5.5 million.
Harald ascended to the throne in January 1991 following the death of his British-born father, King Olav V, during a period marked by significant economic growth due to oil and gas resources in Norway.
Born in 1937 in Asker, near Oslo, he became the first Norwegian prince born in the country since King Olav IV in 1370. Following the 1905 dissolution of the union between Sweden and Norway, his grandfather, Haakon VII, became the first elected king of Norway.
Harald was just three when the Nazis invaded Norway in World War II. To escape capture, his mother took him and his sisters, Ragnhild and Astrid, first to Sweden and later to the United States. Meanwhile, his father and grandfather went into exile in Britain with the Norwegian government.
Haakon VII’s defiance of German demands garnered respect from the Norwegian people.
During their time in the U.S., the Norwegian royal family often visited the White House. At the age of six, Harald performed his first official duty by christening new warplanes at a Norwegian military base in Canada.
The family reunited in Norway in June 1945, shortly after the war ended. Harald attended public schools, the Norwegian military college, and later graduated from Oxford University.
A keen sailor like his father, who had been an Olympic champion in 1928, Harald represented Norway in several Olympic Games and won a gold medal at the World Championships in 1987.
Encouraged to marry a European princess, Harald instead held out for nine years before marrying his school sweetheart, Sonja Haraldsen, in a wedding that took place on August 29, 1968. His father had initially feared the marriage would weaken the monarchy, but it was received with enthusiasm across Norway.
The couple later had two children, Haakon and Märtha Louise. In 1990, Norway amended its Constitution, allowing the firstborn child, irrespective of gender, to take precedence in the line of succession, though this did not apply retroactively.
Upon his ascension on January 21, 1991, Harald adopted the motto used by his father and grandfather: “All for Norway.” He dedicated his reign to modernizing the monarchy.
“It has been my experience that the monarchy stands strong,” he remarked. “This is not least because my father and grandfather did most things right. That puts me under pressure, but I take it as a challenge.”
Harald gained widespread admiration after delivering an emotional eulogy at a memorial service for victims of the 2011 attacks by right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, which left 77 people dead.
“I remain convinced that the belief in freedom is stronger than fear. I remain convinced in the belief of an open Norwegian democracy and society. I remain convinced in the belief in our ability to live freely and safely in our own country,” he stated.
In a notable 2016 address, Harald spoke fervently in support of LGBTQ+ rights, religious tolerance, and refugees, asserting that “Norwegians are girls who love girls, boys who love boys, and girls and boys who love each other.” His comments, which acknowledged the diverse beliefs of Norwegians, were widely shared on social media.
Throughout his reign, the royal family faced fewer scandals compared to their counterparts in Sweden and Britain. However, Harald’s daughter Märtha Louise stepped back from royal duties following controversial claims of her ability to communicate with angels.
In early 2026, scrutiny increased regarding Crown Princess Mette-Marit over her past associations with Jeffrey Epstein, raising questions about her judgment, although she faced no accusations of wrongdoing. Mette-Marit later expressed regret for the controversy surrounding her family.
Simultaneously, her son Marius Borg Høiby faced a rape conviction, resulting in a four-year prison sentence which drew significant media attention.
Following the abdication of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, Harald reaffirmed his lifelong commitment to his role, stating, “It lasts for life,” in January 2024.
However, since then, his health has faced challenges, including hospitalizations during foreign trips, one for a pacemaker fitting in Malaysia and another for a skin infection during a recent holiday in Tenerife.
