Harald passed away peacefully in his sleep at Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet at 6:35 a.m., local time, the royal palace of Norway said.
Harald had been admitted to the hospital on Aug. 17 and placed on sick leave after corticosteroid treatment for haemolytic anemia caused fluid retention that required hospital care, the palace revealed. His son, then-Crown Prince Haakon, 53, served as regent while his father was on leave.
Harald has been described as a monarch who modernized the institution. His marriage broke with royal convention when he wed the non-royal Sonja Haraldsen in 1968 after a lengthy struggle for permission from his family.
While Norway is a constitutional monarchy, with the king serving as head of state similar to other royal houses in Europe, Norwegian monarchs have largely held symbolic roles, as legislative power rests with an elected parliament.
Norway will observe a period of mourning, with flags at royal residences, government buildings, and military installations set to remain at half-mast.
As Norway mourns its long-reigning monarch, thoughts are also turning to his successor, who has been tasked with carrying on his father's legacy.
When a monarch in Norway passes away, the next person in the order of succession automatically becomes King or Queen, as the country cannot be without a head of state.
While Princess Märtha Louise is Harald’s eldest child, the crown has passed down to his son, Haakon.
The Norwegian government convened for an extraordinary cabinet meeting at the palace on Friday at 11:30 a.m., local time, where ministers met the new King.
What to know about King Haakon VIII and his wife, Mette-Marit
As the only son of Harald and Sonja, Haakon somewhat broke with tradition in his younger years when he moved out of the country to attend the University of California, Berkeley, where he obtained a BA in political science in 1999.
The couple welcomed their first child together, Ingrid Alexandra, in 2004 and had their son, Sverre Magnus, a year later.
In recent years, Mette-Marit has suffered with poor health, after being diagnosed with a chronic lung disease—what the palace referred to as an “unusual variant of fibrosis”—in 2018.
Mette-Marit has come under scrutiny over her contact with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“Jeffrey Epstein is personally responsible for his actions. I must take responsibility for not checking Epstein’s background more thoroughly and for not understanding quickly enough what kind of person he was,” Mette-Marit said in a statement on Jan. 30 2026. “I deeply regret that, and this is a responsibility I must take. I showed poor judgment and regret ever having had any contact with Epstein. It is simply embarrassing. I want to express my deep sympathy and solidarity with the victims of the abuses committed by Jeffrey Epstein.”
Her Majesty Queen Sonja of Norway and His Majesty King Harald of Norway attend a Norwegian Constitution Day event at the Royal Palace in Oslo, Norway, on May 17, 2026. —Ole Hagen––Getty Images
How the world has reacted to King Harald’s death
Tributes have poured in from around the world to honor the late King and his legacy.
“For thirty-five years, King Harald served his people with unwavering dedication, guiding Norway through times of great change with warmth and humility,” Charles said. “As Norway mourns the loss of so towering a figure, my whole family join in remembering a much-loved kinsman and friend whose kindness, compassion and deep sense of duty echoed from across the sea and across the decades.”
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte described the late King as a “dedicated leader,” whose “military roots made him a champion of the Norwegian military and a long-time friend of NATO.” Harald's military roots go back to when he attended the Norwegian Military Academy in Oslo as a young royal and went on to be appointed general and admiral in 1977, as part of the royal tradition where the Crown Prince is appointed to the highest rank in the branches of defense at the age of 40.
E.U. foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Harald was “truly the people’s King, a lifelong defender of freedom and champion of an open Norwegian democracy and society.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz lamented that Norway had lost “a great personality who stood for composure and unity,” while French President Emmanuel Macron said Harald had “worked tirelessly throughout his reign to strengthen the bonds uniting Norway and France.”
Norwegian soccer player Erling Haaland, who met with the late King in July after returning from the World Cup 2026, said: “Rest in peace, King Harald. Thank you for everything you meant to Norway. It was an honor to meet you."
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