Norway's King Harald V dies at 89, Crown Prince Haakon becomes King Haakon VIII

Norway is in national mourning following the death of King Harald V, Europe's oldest monarch, who passed away at age 89 on August 28, 2026, after a blood infection. His son, King Haakon VIII, has ascended the throne, adopting the motto 'All for Norway.' The transition occurs during a turbulent period for the royal family, which has been hit by scandals involving Queen Mette-Marit's past ties to Jeffrey Epstein and her son's rape conviction, leading to a decline in public support for the monarchy.

King Harald V death

• ▪Following the death of King Harald V on August 28, 2026, Norway declared a period of national mourning with flags flown at half-mast until the funeral
• ▪Oslo Mayor Anne Lindboe postponed her wedding, which was scheduled for August 28, 2026, following the death of King Harald V earlier that day
• ▪King Harald V had been hospitalized since August 17, 2026, initially receiving treatment for haemolytic anemia before contracting a bacterial infection in his bloodstream
• ▪King Harald V of Norway died peacefully at the age of 89 at Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet on August 28, 2026, at 6:35 a.m. local time

King Haakon VIII succession

• ▪King Haakon VIII met with government ministers on August 28, 2026, for an extraordinary council of state, adopting the royal motto "All for Norway."
• ▪Following the accession of King Haakon VIII, his 22-year-old daughter, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, became the crown princess and next in line to the Norwegian throne
• ▪Crown Prince Haakon automatically succeeded his father on August 28, 2026, ascending the throne as King Haakon VIII of Norway
• ▪King Haakon VIII is scheduled to take an oath before the Norwegian parliament on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, with no formal coronation ceremony to follow

Royal family scandals

• ▪Marius Borg Høiby, the son of Queen Mette-Marit from a previous relationship, was convicted of rape and domestic violence in June 2026 and sentenced to four years in prison
• ▪Queen Mette-Marit faced public scrutiny in early 2026 after documents revealed she maintained email correspondence and meetings with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein
• ▪Princess Märtha Louise stepped back from official royal duties in 2022 following controversy surrounding her engagement to Durek Verrett, an American self-described shaman

Public support for monarchy

• ▪A poll conducted by TV2 in early 2026 found that 47.6 percent of respondents believed Mette-Marit should not become queen, while 28.9 percent supported her
• ▪A poll published by Dagbladet in late 2022 showed public support for retaining the Norwegian monarchy stood at 68 percent, down from 81 percent in 2017
• ▪A Norstat poll published by NRK showed support for the Norwegian monarchy dropped to 60 percent in February 2026 before slightly recovering to 64 percent in May 2026

Norwegian monarchy modernization

• ▪The Norwegian Constitution was amended in 1990 to introduce absolute primogeniture, allowing the eldest child to inherit the throne regardless of gender, though it was not retroactive
• ▪King Harald V championed social tolerance, delivering a landmark 2016 speech supporting LGBTQ+ rights, refugees, and religious diversity in Norway
• ▪King Harald V modernized the Norwegian monarchy by breaking tradition to marry commoner Sonja Haraldsen in 1968 after a nine-year stand-off with his father

22 sources