Norway's King Harald has died as UK's King Charles mourns loss of "dear cousin"
Oslo, Norway - Norway's King Harald has died aged 89, the palace said on Friday, his 53-year-old son Crown Prince Haakon automatically succeeding him on the throne.
"It is with deep sadness that we announce that His Majesty King Harald passed away today. King Harald passed away peacefully at Oslo University Hospital on Friday, August 28 at 6:35 AM," the palace said in a statement.
The flag at the royal palace in Oslo was lowered to half-mast, as crowds streamed to the palace courtyard to pay their respects.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said he had received the news with "deep sorrow."
"An entire nation mourns, and at the same time remains profoundly grateful for a long life devoted to Norway," he said in a statement.
"King Harald loved Norway. And Norway loved its king."
Crown Prince Haakon to assume the throne
Haakon was to meet with the government at 11:30 AM to formally inform it of the monarch's death, and to announce the royal name and motto he has chosen.
After that, the flag over the royal palace will be raised to the top again, while another flag on the royal balcony and at other official buildings will remain at half-mast until after Harald's funeral.
Haakon's 22-year-old daughter Ingrid Alexandra also automatically becomes crown princess.
Europe's oldest reigning monarch, King Harald had been in hospital in Oslo since August 17 suffering from hemolytic anemia, a condition caused by an abnormally rapid destruction of red blood cells which leads to fatigue and shortness of breath.
The royal family had rushed to his bedside, with media reporting that Haakon kept vigil overnight.
Haakon's wife, Mette-Marit, is under scrutiny for her ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Documents published in January in the US revealed her sustained and at times intimate correspondence with Epstein between 2011 and 2014, at a time when the notorious financier had already been convicted.
Mette-Marit's son from a relationship prior to her marriage to Haakon, Marius Borg Hoiby, is also in the spotlight as a result of his legal troubles. He was sentenced in June to four years in prison for two rapes and 32 other charges, including violence against a former partner. He has appealed the verdict.
King Charles pays tribute to "dear cousin"
The UK's King Charles III on Friday mourned the loss of his "dear cousin" King Harald of Norway, paying tribute to a "towering figure" who guided his country with "warmth and humility."
"It is with the most profound sadness that my wife and I have learned of the death of my dear cousin, King Harald V of Norway," the British monarch said in a statement shortly after the Norwegian palace announced Harald's death.
"For 35 years, King Harald served his people with unwavering dedication, guiding Norway through times of great change with warmth and humility."
The two men were second cousins once removed, being both being descendants of Britain's King Edward VII.
"As Norway mourns the loss of so towering a figure, my whole family join in remembering a much-loved kinsman and friend whose kindness, compassion and deep sense of duty echoed from across the sea and across the decades," the king said in a statement, personally signed Charles R.
The UK and Norway "share particularly close historical and family ties, with Britain one of the first countries to recognise Norwegian independence and establish diplomatic relations in 1905," he added.
"These special bonds were even further strengthened during the dreadful trials of the Second World War and helped to bind our two countries together."
Cover photo: REUTERS