Haakon VIII Takes Norway's Throne at 53 as Thousands Mourn King Harald, Dead at 89
Updated
Updated · Al Jazeera English · Aug 28
Haakon VIII Takes Norway's Throne at 53 as Thousands Mourn King Harald, Dead at 89
3 articles · Updated · Al Jazeera English · Aug 28
Summary
Thousands of Norwegians gathered at Oslo's Royal Palace to honor King Harald as he lay in state, with a national mourning period underway after his death at 89.
Harald died at Oslo University Hospital after treatment for haemolytic anaemia, ending a 35-year reign in which many Norwegians saw him as a unifying, reform-minded monarch.
Haakon VIII, 53, became king immediately upon his father's death and is due to swear before parliament on Tuesday to defend Norway's constitution and laws.
The new king inherits a monarchy praised for modesty and modernity but recently strained by scandals, including Marius Borg Hoiby's June prison sentence and Epstein-linked scrutiny around senior royals.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store cast the handover as a historic turning point, saying one era had ended and another had begun.