The world woke this morning to the news that King Harald V of Norway has died in Oslo at the age of 89. His was a life marked both by tumult and intense love, and his passing means that the Norwegian people will have a new monarch for the first time since 1991. Today, in his honor, I’ve got a look at the accession council that just took place in Oslo, as well as some key moments in the life of Europe’s oldest reigning monarch.
The announcement came this morning from the Norwegian royal court: “It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of His Majesty King Harald today. King Harald passed away peacefully at the National Hospital on Friday, August 28th, at 6:35 a.m.”
Five hours later, Harald’s son and granddaughter left the hospital and drove to the Royal Palace, where they attended an extraordinary cabinet meeting with Prince Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and the members of his cabinet.
Norway’s constitution indicates that the new monarch accedes to the throne immediately after the passing of his or her predecessor. The new King Haakon VIII, in full uniform, shared the news of his father’s passing with the meeting and confirmed his new role:
“It is my duty to notify the Council of State that my dear father, His Majesty King Harald V, died today on August 28, 2026, at 6:35, and that in line with the Constitution’s provisions, I have acceded to the government as the King of Norway. I will take the name King Haakon VIII and will use the same motto that my father, grandfather, and great-grandfather chose: ‘Everything for Norway.'”
King Haakon will take his oath before the Storting, Norway’s Parliament, on Tuesday.
Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra joined her father at the meeting, wearing pearl drop earrings and what appears to be a small black mourning brooch with her trouser suit. The King and the Crown Princess expressed their thanks to the government, as well as all the people of Norway, for their kind compassion and sympathy during the late King’s illness and passing.
There will be a period of mourning in Norway between now and King Harald’s funeral. The late King’s coffin will be brought to the Royal Palace this evening, where he will lie in state in the Royal Chapel. Members of the public will be able to visit the palace to pay their respects.
Harald’s death on Friday was the closing chapter in a remarkable life. Born on February 21, 1937, he was the third child of Crown Prince Olav and Crown Princess Märtha, who was born a Swedish princess. Harald became the first monarch of modern independent Norway to be born in the country. His grandfather, King Haakon VII, was born Prince Carl of Denmark; he changed his name when he was elected to the Norwegian throne in 1905. Harald’s father, King Olav V, was born Prince Alexander of Denmark on the Sandringham estate in England during the reign of his British royal grandparents, King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. His name too was changed after his father’s accession.
Prince Harald was baptized in the Royal Chapel at the Royal Palace in Oslo, the same place where his body will lay in state for the next several days. His godparents were his paternal grandparents, King Haakon VII and Queen Maud of Norway; his maternal grandparents, Prince Carl and Princess Ingeborg of Sweden; his uncle, King Leopold III of Belgium; and a trio of cousins, King George VI and Queen Mary of the United Kingdom and Crown Princess Ingrid of Denmark. For the occasion, Harald’s mother, Crown Princess Märtha, wore her mother’s emerald necklace and earrings. You can read my article about the history of the important emerald parure here.
Later, the same emerald parure would become an important insurance policy for the family. When Prince Harald was just three years old, Norway was invaded by Germany. His parents decided the best course of action was for the family to split up. Crown Prince Olav stayed in Norway with King Haakon VII, and Crown Princess Märtha took their three children into exile, first in Sweden and then in America. Märtha’s mother gave her the emeralds before their departure, instructing her to sell the stones if their financial situation became dire. (Thankfully, it didn’t.)
Coincidentally, the ship that brought them to safety in New York landed on August 28, 1940, exactly 86 years ago today. I wrote about their perilous journey across the Atlantic in an article earlier this summer at Hidden Gems. I removed the paywall this morning to allow everyone to read the story.
Harald spent much of his childhood in America, but when the war ended, the family was reunited in Oslo. There, he met a young woman who would shape his life forever. As a future monarch, Crown Prince Harald was expected to marry a princess, but he fell in love with a commoner, Sonja Haraldsen, instead. They were together for nine years before Harald finally persuaded his father to allow them to marry. Their wedding took place at Oslo Cathedral on August 29, 1968. Tomorrow would be their 58th wedding anniversary.
Sonja didn’t wear a tiara on her wedding day, opting for a spray of flowers instead. But soon, first as Crown Princess and then as Queen, she had access to numerous tiaras from the family vaults. I wrote about all of her tiaras in an article celebrating her birthday in 2025.
One tiara, though, became a painful memory for Harald and Sonja not long after his accession to the throne in 1991. The royals sent several pieces of jewelry to Garrard in London for maintenance in 1995. That February, thieves stole the jewels, including the antique diamond and pearl tiara that had belonged to Harald’s grandmother, Queen Maud. The jewels were never recovered, and a replica of the tiara was made by Garrard as a mea culpa. I wrote an extensive article about the theft back in 2022.
King Harald and Queen Sonja were the proud parents of two children, Princess Märtha Louise and King Haakon VIII. Their weddings were celebrated in bejeweled splendor. Harald and Sonja, in the family emeralds, are pictured attending the wedding of Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit in August 2001. A few months later, they celebrated the marriage of Princess Märtha Louise and Ari Behn. More recently, the family was also together for the wedding of Märtha Louise and her second husband, Durek Verrett.
In 2017, King Harald and Queen Sonja both celebrated their 80th birthdays. They decided to throw one big party for both milestones. Tiaras were out in force for a gala dinner at the Royal Palace in Oslo on May 9, and I covered the evening in two installments. You can read the first here and the second here.
Another major royal birthday celebration took place five years later, when Harald and Sonja’s granddaughter, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, turned 18. The proud grandparents gave the princess a special tiara to mark the occasion: the diamond and pearl circle tiara that had belonged to Harald’s grandmother, Princess Ingeborg. The birthday gala, which I covered here, featured a number of tiara debuts from Ingrid Alexandra’s fellow princesses as well.
King Harald V was an indelible part of the fabric of Norwegian culture, and in May, he made his final appearance during the country’s National Day celebrations. With Queen Sonja by his side, he waved to the children’s parade from the balcony of the Royal Palace in Oslo. It’s hard to believe that we won’t see him there again next year.
My celebration of the life of the late King Harald continues tomorrow at Hidden Gems. With apologies to Queen Anne-Marie, who still celebrates her birthday on Sunday, my previously-scheduled article will be delayed by one week. Instead, we’ll be looking at the jewels that sparkled on Harald and Sonja’s wedding day in 1968. Saturday would have been their 58th wedding anniversary.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.