His son, Haakon, is set to succeed him as King Haakon VIII. Harald leaves behind his wife, Queen Sonja, whom he was married to for 57 years, as well as two children and five grandchildren; notably, his granddaughter Ingrid Alexandra now becomes the heir to the Norwegian throne.

Harald ascended to the throne following the death of his father, King Olav V, in January 1991, and during his reign, he witnessed and facilitated an economic boom in Norway driven by oil and gas. His legacy includes modernization of the royal house while maintaining the tradition of not abdicating, unlike some other aging monarchs in recent history.

Born in 1937 in Asker, near Oslo, Harald was the first Norwegian prince to be born in Norway since King Olav IV in 1370. His grandfather, Haakon VII, had been elected king following Norway’s independence from its union with Sweden in 1905. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre expressed the nation’s mourning, recognizing the deep gratitude felt for Harald’s service to Norway.

Following the news of Harald’s death, tributes poured in from across Europe, with expressions of condolences from various royal households, including those of Sweden, Denmark, and the United Kingdom. Britain’s King Charles acknowledged Harald as a friend whose virtues bridged the distances across the sea, while Denmark’s King Frederik and Queen Mary referred to him as a “fine man with a twinkle in his eye and a big heart.” Harald’s health had been declining prior to his death, marked by hospitalization due to fluid accumulation and a subsequent infection.