King Harald V of Norway died on Friday (28) at the age of 89 at Oslo University Hospital, the royal palace announced. On the throne since 1991, he was Europe's oldest living monarch. According to G1, his son, Crown Prince Haakon, now takes the throne as King Haakon VIII, in a succession that comes amid a string of crises for the royal family and a drop in popular support for the monarchy.
Harald had been hospitalized since August 17. According to G1, he was being treated with cortisone for hemolytic anemia, a condition that reduces red blood cells, and also had a bacterial blood infection. A day before his death, the Royal Court described his condition as "very serious". Queen Sonja and the crown prince canceled engagements and went to the hospital, and Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre called off a trip to Germany. In Oslo, Norwegians left flowers outside the Royal Palace, and public television changed its programming to follow the situation. Haakon had already been serving as regent during his father's absence.
Because Norway is a constitutional monarchy in which the king performs essentially ceremonial duties, the change on the throne is not expected to alter the country's foreign policy, set by the elected government. That includes relations with Brazil: Norway is the largest donor to the Amazon Fund, an international mechanism that finances anti-deforestation projects in Brazil, and Equinor, the state-controlled Norwegian oil company, operates offshore fields in Brazilian waters. For Brazil's foreign ministry, the expectation is full continuity in environmental and energy cooperation with Oslo.
From childhood exile to the throne
Harald was born on February 21, 1937, in Skaugum, near Oslo, the first prince born on Norwegian soil in 567 years, according to G1. At age 3, he fled the Nazi German invasion with his family, first to Sweden and then to the United States, returning only in 1945. He became crown prince in 1957, when his father took the throne as Olav V, and was sworn in as king on January 17, 1991. In 1968 he married Sonja Haraldsen, a commoner, a union that stirred debate at the time. A keen sailor, he carried Norway's flag at the opening of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and won world and European titles in the sport. In 2024 he received a pacemaker after falling ill during a vacation in Malaysia, and that same year he announced he would cut back official duties but ruled out abdication, saying his oath as king was for life.
His death comes at a turbulent time for the Royal Court. According to Folha de S.Paulo and G1, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Haakon's wife, faced intense scrutiny over her friendship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a relationship for which she apologized, and underwent a lung transplant in June 2026. Her son, Marius Borg Høiby, was sentenced to four years in prison on two rape counts; both he and the prosecution appealed. Harald was also criticized for publicly defending his daughter-in-law during the crisis, a stance Norwegian media analysts considered inappropriate for the monarch.
The strain shows in the polls. In February 2026, support for the monarchy fell to 61% among Norwegians, down from 72% a year earlier, while 27% favored a republic, according to G1. Even so, Parliament overwhelmingly rejected, with 141 of 169 votes against, a proposal to replace the monarchy. That institution under pressure is what Haakon VIII now inherits.