The Royal Palace in Oslo announced that King Harald V died peacefully at 4:35 a.m. GMT on Friday at Oslo University Hospital.
Members of the royal family visited him during the final hours of his life. Meanwhile, members of the public began laying flowers outside the Royal Palace in Oslo to pay their respects and honour the late king.
King Harald V will be succeeded by his son, Crown Prince Haakon.
After 35 years on the throne, King Harald V leaves behind a legacy of modernising Norway’s monarchy and bringing it closer to the people. He was widely regarded as a unifying figure who helped guide the country through difficult periods.
One of the defining moments of his reign was his decision to break with royal tradition by marrying Sonja Haraldsen, a commoner. The marriage helped change public perceptions of Norway’s royal family.
Royal commentators described Harald V as a humble, respected and widely loved monarch. Many Norwegians referred to him as the “People’s King,” a nickname that had previously been associated with his father, King Olav V.
King Harald V was born on February 21, 1937. He was only three years old when Nazi Germany invaded Norway during World War II.
During the war, his mother took him and his siblings to Sweden before they later travelled to the United States at the invitation of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. After the war, Harald and his family returned to Norway, where he continued his education and later completed military training.
Following the death of his father, King Olav V, on January 17, 1991, Harald V ascended to the throne and became King of Norway.
