Published: 07:48 BST, 28 August 2026 | Updated: 08:18 BST, 28 August 2026
King Harald of Norway, cousin of King Charles III, has died at the age of 89 after a brief stay in hospital.
The Scandinavian royal was Europe's oldest-reigning monarch following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, having been on the throne since January 17, 1991.
Harald was being treated at Oslo University Hospital for haemolytic anaemia, a disorder which causes red blood cells to be destroyed at an abnormally fast rate.
But the palace said his health had 'deteriorated' after he contracted an infection, with members of the Norwegian Royal Family rushing to his bedside on Thursday.
'It is with deep grief that we announce that His Majesty King Harald has passed away,' Norway's Royal Court said in a statement.
'King Harald died peacefully at Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet Friday 28 August at 6:35am.'
Crown Prince Haakon will now ascend the throne and is expected to take the name King Haakon VIII.
Born on February 21, 1937, Harald was the third child and only son of King Olav V of Norway and Princess Martha of Sweden.
He is a great-grandson of Edward VII and his godparents included Queen Mary and her son George VI (grandmother and father respectively of the late Queen Elizabeth).
His early life was marked by the vicissitudes of the Second World War. In April 1940, when Harald was just three, Nazi Germany invaded Norway.
Harald and his two older sisters, Ragnhild and Astrid, were swept up by their mother and taken first to Sweden.
King Harald of Norway, cousin of King Charles III, has died at the age of 89 after a brief stay in hospital
King Harald was close to Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who was his second cousin. King Edward VII was their great-grandfather
Crown Prince Harald, as he then was, approaching his 21st birthday. His mother passed away when he was only 17
