The life of King Harald V

Childhood and the war years

His Majesty King Harald was born on 21 February 1937 at Skaugum in Asker, the son of the then Crown Prince Olav and Crown Princess Märtha, and grandson of King Haakon VII. His birth mattered a great deal to the young Norwegian monarchy: he was the first prince born on Norwegian soil in 567 years, and with him the succession was at last secured, as his two elder sisters, Princesses Ragnhild and Astrid, had no right of succession under the constitution of the day.

He spent his first three years in the rural calm of Skaugum. That peaceful childhood ended abruptly when Germany invaded Norway on 9 April 1940. The royal family and the government were forced to flee northwards by train to escape the occupying forces. At Elverum the young prince was separated from his father, and together with his mother and sisters he crossed the border into Sweden, and from there onwards to safety in the United States. The family spent the remainder of the war years at Pooks Hill in Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C., while King Haakon VII and Crown Prince Olav led the resistance from London.

When peace came, the eight-year-old prince witnessed one of the most moving days in Norwegian history: on 7 June 1945 he returned home to Norway with his grandfather, his mother and his sisters, stepping ashore at Honnørbrygga in Oslo before a sea of cheering people. After the homecoming he was given an upbringing as close to that of other children as possible — he started at Smestad school in Oslo, and later continued at Oslo Cathedral School, where he sat his university entrance examination in 1955.

Education and coming of age

Prince Harald continued his education at the Cavalry Officers’ Candidate School and the Norwegian Military Academy, before completing his studies at Balliol College, Oxford. During these years he also distinguished himself as an accomplished sailor, representing Norway in international competition, including at the Olympic Games.

When King Haakon VII died on 21 September 1957, Prince Harald became Crown Prince of Norway and attended the Council of State for the first time. The following year he acted as regent in the absence of his father, King Olav — a role he would come to know well in the years that followed. As an adult Crown Prince he also became an important door-opener for Norwegian business and diplomacy abroad, and involved himself in causes such as the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

Love and marriage

One of the best-loved chapters of King Harald’s life is his long and steadfast love story with Sonja Haraldsen from Vinderen in Oslo. The couple had known each other for nine years when, in March 1968, it was announced that King Olav had given his consent to the marriage — a decision that was far from a foregone conclusion at the time, as Sonja was not of royal birth. On 29 August 1968, Crown Prince Harald and Sonja Haraldsen were married in Oslo Cathedral, in what became one of the great public celebrations of post-war Norway.

The marriage gave the royal couple two children: Princess Märtha Louise, born 22 September 1971, and Crown Prince Haakon, born 20 July 1973.

King of Norway

In the spring of 1990 King Olav fell ill, and his duties as head of state were carried out by the Crown Prince Regent. When King Olav died peacefully on 17 January 1991, Crown Prince Harald became Norway’s new king and head of state. Four days later he swore his oath to the Constitution in a solemn ceremony in the Storting, and on 23 June that same year he received the blessing for his reign in Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim. Following his father and grandfather, he chose the motto “Alt for Norge” — “All for Norway”.

As king, Harald V devoted his life to the representative and ceremonial role the Constitution assigns to the head of state, and stood as a unifying symbol for the Norwegian community for more than three decades. He carried out over a hundred state visits to and from Norway, often accompanied by Queen Sonja — among them the symbolically weighty fiftieth state visit, to Jordan in 2020.

Family man and grandfather

The royal couple became grandparents in 2001, when Crown Princess Mette-Marit joined the family together with her son Marius Borg Høiby. The family has grown since: Princess Ingrid Alexandra was born on 21 January 2004, and Prince Sverre Magnus in 2005. Princess Märtha Louise also has three daughters from her first marriage — Maud Angelica, Leah Isadora and Emma Tallulah. Together King Harald and Queen Sonja have six grandchildren, and family has always been central to how he carried out his role as king — warmly, attentively, and with a clear feeling for the human dimension.

Later years

In his later years King Harald met a number of health challenges with the same composure and sense of duty that marked his whole life’s work — from cancer surgery in 2003, through heart valve operations, to several hospital admissions in more recent years. Despite this he continued to carry out his royal duties for as long as his strength allowed, and he remained one of the most respected and best-loved monarchs in Europe — known for his closeness to his people, his warmth, and his commitment to nature, the sea and the Norwegian community.

Death

King Harald V died on 28 August 2026 at Rikshospitalet in Oslo, aged 89, following the serious illness described above — the blood disorder haemolytic anaemia. He is survived by Queen Sonja, his two children Crown Prince Haakon and Princess Märtha Louise, and his six grandchildren.

His death brings to a close a reign of more than 35 years — one of the longest in Norwegian history. In accordance with the line of succession set out in the Constitution, Crown Prince Haakon now succeeds him as King of Norway.