King Harald V of Norway dies at 89

Europe's oldest reigning monarch was an anchor for his country in turbulent times. Even when scandals shook the royal house.

Publication date: 2026-08-28 16:03:00

In Oslo, mourners gather in front of the royal palace on Friday. Photo: Dylan Martinez/rtr

By Anne Diekhoff

They couldn't choose him, and yet he fit them as if ordered. He gave them the unifying feeling of being there for all of them, understanding everything human, and caring for everyone. Now King Harald has died at the age of 89, and Norway mourns.

For days, people in the country had been, so to speak, sitting by his deathbed. They awaited every new piece of information about the health condition of the 89-year-old, they gathered in front of the palace in Oslo, they shared their thoughts, memories, and even messages to the dying man with television journalists and on social media. As if they wanted to make sure he knew what he meant to them. He will have known it for a long time.

A King with an Immigration Background

It was his strength to reach and connect people in the country with his words. A speech from 2016, on the 25th anniversary of his accession to the throne, is considered iconic. King Harald and Queen Sonja had invited 1,500 people from all corners of the country to a celebration in the palace park. "What makes Norway?" asked the host. The beloved nature, certainly. But above all, it was the people. People from such different regions as Nordlandet, Sørlandet, and Trøndelag.

And then he launched into it: Norwegians had also immigrated from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Poland, Sweden, Somalia, and Syria. "My grandparents came from Denmark and England 110 years ago," he recalled, before opening up further categories of diversity.

Norwegians were rich, poor, and in between. They loved football, handball, mountain hikes, sailing – or preferred to lie on the sofa. The king listed occupational groups, body sizes, health conditions, family forms – and, as a matter of course, also sexual orientations and religions.

Norwegians were girls who love girls, boys who love boys, and boys and girls who love each other. Norwegians believed in God, Allah, Everything, and Nothing, he also said in that speech. These sentences have recently been shared widely again on social media. The message is that it meant a lot to them to hear these words from the king. "You are Norway. We are all Norway," the king said in 2016. His greatest hope was that they would manage to take care of each other.

He Could Connect with Words

Norway has only been an independent kingdom again since 1905, after centuries under Danish and/or Swedish rule. Harald was the third regent of this new era after his grandfather Haakon VII and his father King Olav V since 1991, and the first also born in Norway.

That he not only accepted social changes but reflected on them, respected them, and stood up for them as king strengthened his role also for younger generations.

Being able to connect with words was especially important in 2011, when Norway remained in a state of shock after the right-wing extremist terror of Anders Behring Breivik. The king himself wept with the country, comforted at the same time, and finally emphasized that he firmly held onto the belief in an open Norwegian democracy and society. Then too, he called on people to take care of each other.

World Champion in Sailing

Cheerful appearances without many words also occurred, of course. Annually on the national holiday on May 17, King Harald stood with his family on the palace balcony waving, while thousands of schoolchildren marched past below, cheerfully waving Norwegian flags.

His composed demeanor and fine humor were appreciated – and, as is also fitting for Norway, his passion for activities in nature. Cross-country skiing at Easter, summer vacation at his favorite fjord – and above all, sailing. In that, he was again exceptionally good, a family legacy. 1964, 1968, and 1972: Three times the then crown prince represented his country at the Olympic Games.