Norway is mourning the death of King Harald, who died at the age of 89, while his 53-year-old son Haakon has assumed the throne with immediate effect.
Taking the name King Haakon VIII, the new monarch inherits a royal institution celebrated for its informality and progressive outlook but strained by a series of scandals in recent years.
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Haakon reached the palace shortly after 9am Irish time, accompanied by his 22-year-old daughter Ingrid Alexandra, who is now crown princess, for a meeting with the government.
He notified the cabinet of his father’s death and confirmed both the name under which he would reign and his royal motto: “All for Norway”, the same words used by Harald.
Crown Prince Haakon automatically succeeds Harald on the throne
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre conveyed his condolences on behalf of Norway’s government and people.
“King Harald was a person we all grew fond of. We know that King Harald’s passing is a great loss for our new king and for the entire Royal Family,” Mr Støre said, praising the late monarch’s “lifelong service”.
“An entire nation is in mourning and remains in profound gratitude,” he added in a statement.
The government declared a period of national mourning that will continue until Harald’s burial.
The palace flag was lowered to half-mast earlier in the morning, then raised again when Haakon arrived.
Flags at the royal balcony and other official buildings will stay at half-mast until after Harald’s funeral, although no date has yet been announced.
Thousands gathered outside the palace after officials said yesterday that the king was in “extremely serious” condition in hospital. By morning, hundreds of bouquets had been laid across the grounds.
People lay flowers, candles and Norwegian flags as they gather to pay tribute to King Harald
Vigdis Haug, 65, said Harald had a rare ability to bring people together.
“I think he has been such a down-to-earth king who has cared about all of us, and the words he always uses when he gives a speech are so wise and so valuable,” she told AFP.
Haug and other people who spoke to AFP singled out Harald’s address after neo-Nazi Anders Behring Breivik murdered 77 people in twin attacks on 22 July 2011, Norway’s deadliest massacre since World War II.
“He was someone who always seemed to find the words that brought us together and gave us a sense of security,” Caroline Vagle, a reporter with Se og Hor magazine, told AFP.
Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf described Harald as “an outstanding representative of his country. He gave ‘All for Norway’,” echoing the late king’s royal motto.
Denmark’s King Frederik paid tribute to Harald as “an extraordinary man”.
Harald with his wife Sonja in 1987
Britain’s King Charles III said he was grieving the loss of his “dear cousin” and remembered Harald as a “towering figure”.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee said she learned of Harald’s death with “deep sadness”, extending her “heartfelt sympathy to His Majesty the King, Her Majesty Queen Sonja and the Royal Family on what is a tremendous personal loss”.
“I offer also my deepest condolences to the people of the Kingdom of Norway,” she said.
“During his reign of 35 years, King Harald truly lived up to the official Royal Motto of “Alt for Norge” and his loss will be felt by all.”
Harald was on the throne during the 1990s negotiations that produced the Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO). Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he was “deeply saddened” by the king’s death.
Europe’s oldest reigning monarch, Harald had been receiving treatment at an Oslo hospital since 17 August for haemolytic anaemia, a condition in which red blood cells are destroyed unusually quickly, causing fatigue and shortness of breath.
Crown Prince Haakon’s wife Crown Princess Mette-Marit has faced scrutiny for her correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein
Harald became king in 1991 and spent his reign projecting an image of Norway as an open and tolerant country.
His health deteriorated in his final years, leading him to reduce the demands of his official programme.
Even so, he repeatedly rejected the possibility of abdication, saying he had made a lifelong oath before the Norwegian parliament.
The royal household has endured a turbulent year.
Alongside his own health difficulties, Harald’s wife, Queen Sonja, also 89, was briefly hospitalised in May after experiencing heart problems.
Haakon’s wife, Mette-Marit, has faced scrutiny over her correspondence with the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In June, Mette-Marit’s son from a relationship before her marriage to Haakon, Marius Borg Hoiby, received a four-year prison sentence for two rapes.
He has appealed against the verdict.
Mette-Marit, 53, is herself living with a serious lung disease and underwent a lung transplant in July.
Despite the controversies surrounding the family, the royals remain broadly popular in Norway, helped in large measure by Harald’s reputation as a unifying figure and his understated, relatively modest way of life.
