Norway has entered a period of national mourning following the death of King Harald V, with thousands gathering in Oslo to honour the widely admired monarch as his son, Haakon VIII, takes the throne.
News of Harald’s death was announced early on Friday, prompting mourners to assemble outside the royal palace carrying flowers and Norwegian flags. Some were seen openly weeping as the country began paying tribute to a king remembered for his warmth, inclusiveness and decades of public service.
Harald died in hospital at 06:35 local time, aged 89, after receiving treatment for a rare blood disorder. He had occupied the Norwegian throne for 35 years.
His coffin was later transported from the chapel at Rikshospitalet to the royal palace in a public procession. An estimated 10,000 people lined the streets of the capital to witness the journey, according to Norway’s public broadcaster.
At midday, the Norwegian Armed Forces marked the monarch’s death with a 21-gun funeral salute fired from Akershus Fortress in central Oslo.
Harald was frequently described as a transparent, compassionate and modernising “people’s king” who worked to make the monarchy more accessible to the public.
Tributes came from across Norway and beyond, including from European royalty, political leaders and members of the public. King Charles III, whose mother Queen Elizabeth II was Harald’s second cousin, was among those recognising his long service and the stability he brought to the country.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre laid flowers outside the palace and signed a book of condolences after meeting the new king. He said Norway was “united in grief and gratitude”.
During a televised memorial address, one of several eulogies delivered by government ministers, Støre said Harald’s “legacy lives on”. He also offered his condolences to Queen Sonja and the wider royal family. The royal couple would have celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary on Saturday.
Norwegian football star Erling Haaland also honoured the late king on Instagram, thanking him for “everything you meant to Norway”. Haaland added that it had been an honour to meet Harald at the palace earlier in the summer following the Fifa World Cup.
Across Oslo, residents shared personal memories of the monarch and spoke of the affection they held for him.
“I personally will say he was everything for us, especially being an immigrant,” Biteya Terfassa, an Oslo resident who was born in Ethiopia, told news agency Reuters outside the palace.
“He made us feel at home and he made us feel loved. So he was like a grandfather that I never had.”
The date of Harald’s funeral has not yet been officially confirmed. Until then, his body will lie in state in the palace chapel, allowing members of the public to pay their final respects.
Flags will remain at half-mast across Norway throughout the mourning period. Portraits of the late king will be displayed, candles will be lit and moments of silence observed at professional and public events.
Non-work-related social gatherings are also expected to be cancelled or postponed. Oslo Mayor Anne Lindboe, who had been due to marry on Friday, postponed her wedding following the announcement.
Harald’s younger child, Haakon, has now become king, while his wife, Mette-Marit, assumes the title of queen.
The 53-year-old monarch convened an extraordinary meeting of the Council of State with government ministers shortly after his accession. He confirmed that he would adopt the royal family’s longstanding motto, “All for Norway”.
King Haakon is expected to swear an oath before the Norwegian parliament on Tuesday. He will later attend a consecration service, a more modest ceremony used in place of a traditional coronation, which Norway no longer holds.
His 22-year-old daughter, Ingrid Alexandra, accompanied him during his meeting with ministers at the palace on Friday. She is now crown princess and first in line to the throne.
Her position follows changes to Norway’s succession laws introduced in 1990, which established the right of a monarch’s firstborn child to inherit the crown regardless of gender.
Haakon begins his reign at a challenging moment for the royal household, which has faced a series of health concerns and damaging controversies during the past year.
Mette-Marit came under intense scrutiny after it emerged that she had maintained a three-year friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. She has since issued a public apology over the relationship.
The queen later underwent a lung transplant after living with pulmonary fibrosis since 2018. Doctors are not expected to declare her condition stable until next year, leaving Haakon to balance his expanding royal responsibilities with supporting her recovery.
Further controversy has surrounded Marius Borg Høiby, Mette-Marit’s son from a previous relationship. He was convicted in June of rape and other offences and sentenced to four years in prison, although he is appealing the verdict.
Høiby is not formally part of the royal family but has been closely associated with the household since the age of four, when Haakon married his mother.
Despite Harald’s enduring personal popularity, public confidence in the institution weakened during the final years of his reign. A poll conducted for the newspaper Aftenposten earlier this year found that support for the monarchy had fallen from 72% in 2024 to 54%.
