Overview
- Norway’s royal house confirmed that King Harald V. died on Friday, August 28, 2026, at 06:35 at Rikshospitalet and that his son immediately succeeded as King Haakon VIII and convened an extraordinary cabinet meeting.
- The king’s coffin was transferred the same evening to the Royal Palace and will be placed in the palace chapel so the public can pay respects before a state funeral is arranged.
- The new king has scheduled a televised address to the nation and will take the formal oath before the Storting in the coming days as part of the constitutionally guided succession rituals.
- Harald had been hospitalised from August 17 for hemolytic anaemia and developed a bacterial bloodstream infection treated with antibiotics, and the palace had described his condition in the days before his death as very serious.
- Thousands of Norwegians left flowers and tributes at the palace and national mourning is under way as the monarchy faces renewed scrutiny over recent controversies involving members of the crown household that could shape public views of the new reign.