Norway’s King Harald V has died aged 89 after being treated for a rare blood condition. He passed away peacefully at 06:35 local time on Friday at the national hospital in Oslo. The royal flag was lowered to half-mast as the country entered a period of mourning. His son, Crown Prince Haakon, 53, has succeeded him as king.

Harald, who became king in 1991, was widely regarded as a popular and modernising monarch. He broke royal tradition by marrying commoner Sonja Haraldsen in 1968 and became known for his emotional, down-to-earth approach. He also played a unifying role following the 2011 Oslo and Utøya attacks and publicly supported diversity, including different religions, ethnicities and sexual orientations.

His final years were marked by declining health and challenges within the royal family, including controversies surrounding his daughter-in-law Mette-Marit and her son Marius Borg Høiby. Despite these difficulties, Harald remained personally popular among Norwegians, with royal observers describing him as the “People’s king.” He is survived by Queen Sonja, their children and six grandchildren.

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