Norway’s King Harald Dies At 89
Norway’s King Harald has died aged 89, with his 53-year-old son, Crown Prince Haakon, automatically succeeding him on the throne.
The palace said in a statement on Friday that it is with deep sadness that it announces that His Majesty King Harald passed away peacefully at Oslo University Hospital on Friday, August 28 at 6:35 am.
The flag at the royal palace in Oslo was lowered to half-mast.
King Harald who is Europe’s oldest reigning monarch, had been in hospital in Oslo since August 17 suffering from haemolytic anaemia, a condition caused by an abnormally rapid destruction of red blood cells which leads to fatigue and shortness of breath.
The royal family had rushed to his bedside on Thursday as the palace announced that Harald’s condition was “extremely serious” with the media reporting that they kept vigil overnight.
Harald, who ascended the Norwegian throne in 1991, had had multiple health problems in recent years, forcing him to have a pacemaker fitted and to scale back his official schedule.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store had cancelled a work trip to Germany early Thursday due to the king’s deteriorating condition.
