Norway's King Harald V dies, Europe's oldest reigning monarch
Norway's King Harald V, the oldest reigning monarch in Europe, has died at 89 in Oslo University Hospital. His only son, Crown Prince Haakon, becomes his successor.
Norway's royal palace announced on Friday morning that King Harald V, the country's head of state, has died at the age of 89. He passed away peacefully on Friday, August 28, at 06:35 local time at Oslo University Hospital, where he had been admitted on August 18.
The king had been undergoing treatment for hemolytic anemia for some time, and his condition deteriorated significantly this week. In recent years Harald faced numerous health problems that required him to have a pacemaker fitted and to scale back his official schedule.
Nearly 35 years on the throne
Harald V ascended to the Norwegian throne in 1991 and reigned for nearly 35 years, making him the oldest reigning monarch in Europe. Despite his health difficulties, he consistently ruled out abdicating, arguing that he had sworn a lifelong oath before the Norwegian parliament.
His only son, 50-year-old Crown Prince Haakon, is the heir to the Norwegian throne.
