{"id":222285,"date":"2026-08-28T11:30:47","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T11:30:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/norways-king-harald-dies-leaving-stormy-succession-over-crown-princesss-epstein-links-the-guardian\/"},"modified":"2026-08-28T11:30:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T11:30:47","slug":"norways-king-harald-dies-leaving-stormy-succession-over-crown-princesss-epstein-links-the-guardian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/norways-king-harald-dies-leaving-stormy-succession-over-crown-princesss-epstein-links-the-guardian\/","title":{"rendered":"Norway\u2019s King Harald dies leaving stormy succession over crown princess\u2019s Epstein links – The Guardian"},"content":{"rendered":"

Monarch\u2019s death comes at turbulent time for royal family over association of crown princess with Jeffrey Epstein
King Harald V of Norway, Europe\u2019s oldest reigning monarch, has died aged 89, the royal palace in Oslo has announced. He was succeeded immediately by his son, King Haakon VIII.
\u201cIt is with deep sadness that we announce that His Majesty King Harald passed away today. King Harald passed away peacefully at Oslo University hospital on Friday 28 August at 6.35am,\u201d the palace said in a statement.
The new king, whose wife, Mette-Marit, has recently come under scrutiny over scandals including a much-criticised association<\/a> with the late US child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, formally notified the government of his father\u2019s death on Friday.
As crowds gathered outside the royal palace to pay their respects, the government announced a period of national mourning. Flags around the country were lowered to half mast and church bells rang out at midday.
Haakon, 53, formally told government ministers of his father\u2019s death at an extraordinary council of state on Friday morning. As expected, he said he would take the name Haakon VIII, and he chose the personal motto: \u201cEverything for Norway\u201d.
The new king will swear an oath of accession in parliament within the next few days. Coronation ceremonies were abolished in Norway more than a century ago, but Haakon could choose to have his reign blessed at a consecration ceremony.
The palace had said on Thursday that Harald\u2019s health had deteriorated and that the king, who was seen as a unifying figure and a force for stability amid a string of recent family scandals, was in an \u201cextremely serious\u201d condition.
Norway\u2019s prime minister, Jonas Gahr St\u00f8re, said he had received the news \u201cwith deep sadness\u201d. \u201cA whole nation is in mourning, and \u2060the people of Norway are left with a \u200bdeep sense of \u200cgratitude for a \u200clong life in the service of Norway,\u201d he said.
St\u00f8re added: \u201cHarald V demonstrated an unwavering faith in the Norwegian people. He helped us to see the best in ourselves, and in one another \u2026 King Harald loved Norway. And Norway loved its king.\u201d
Royalty around Europe sent their condolences, with Spain\u2019s royal family hailing Harald\u2019s \u201cresponsibility, dignity, humility and tireless dedication\u201d, and Denmark\u2019s King Frederik and Queen Mary saying he was \u201cloved like few others\u201d.
King Carl XVI Gustaf, of Sweden, said: \u201cThroughout the years, King Harald has been a good friend to me, my family, and to Sweden \u2026 I \u200bwish \u200bmy dear godson Haakon, \u200bwho now succeeds his father as head \u200bof state, \u200csuccess and \u200bgood \u200bfortune.\u201d
Belgium\u2019s royal family recalled Harald\u2019s \u201chumour, humanity and sincerity\u201d, while Britain\u2019s King Charles mourned the loss of his \u201cdear cousin\u201d, paying tribute to a \u201ctowering figure\u201d who guided his country with \u201cwarmth and humility\u201d.
The European Commission chief, Ursula von der Leyen, said he \u201cbrought Norwegians together\u201d. Germany\u2019s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said Norway had \u201clost a great figure who stood for prudence and unity\u201d, and the French president, Emmanuel Macron, expressed \u201cdeep sadness\u201d.
Norway\u2019s ceremonial head of state since 1991, Harald was being treated for haemolytic anaemia, a condition caused by an abnormally rapid destruction of the body\u2019s red blood cells.
He had had numerous health problems \u2013 an operation for bladder cancer in 2003 and a pacemaker fitted in 2024 \u2013 but always ruled out abdicating, saying he had taken a lifelong oath before the Norwegian parliament.
His death comes amid a turbulent period<\/a> for Norway\u2019s royal family. Documents published in the US in January showed that Mette-Marit corresponded with Epstein<\/a> between 2011 and 2014, long after he was convicted.
The files appeared to contain almost 1,000 mentions of Mette-Marit, including intimate exchanges. They drew fierce public criticism, with St\u00f8re accusing her in unprecedented comments of \u201cpoor judgment\u201d.
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Mette-Marit subsequently released a statement via the royal household expressing her \u201cdeepest regret for my friendship with Jeffrey Epstein\u201d and apologising for \u201cthe situation that I have put the royal family in, especially the king and queen\u201d.
Marius Borg H\u00f8iby, 29, Mette-Marit\u2019s son from a previous relationship, has also been in the spotlight after being sentenced in June to four years in prison<\/a> for two rapes and 32 other charges, including violence against a former partner. He has appealed.
The scandals have affected public support for Norway\u2019s monarchy, with a poll in February finding support down to 54% from 72% in 2024. Several polls found nearly half of the population felt Mette-Marit could not become queen.
Harald was seen as the Norwegian monarchy\u2019s great moderniser, revamping the crown estates and changing the way the court is run. He married Sonja, a commoner, in 1968 and welcomed two others, Mette-Marit and Ari Behn, as the spouses of his children.
A great-great-grandchild \u200cof Britain\u2019s Queen Victoria, he succeeded his father, Olav V, at the age of 54 after studying at Oxford and representing his country in sailing events at the Tokyo, Mexico City and Munich Olympics. He was widely appreciated in Norway for his unassuming lifestyle and commitment to national unity.
In an emotional speech in 2011 after the far-right extremist Anders Behring Breivik<\/a> killed 77 in two terror attacks, he told his subjects that \u201cfreedom is stronger than fear\u201d and as \u201ca father, grandfather and spouse, I can only begin to sense some of the pain you feel. As king of the nation, I feel for every one of you.\u201d
In a widely praised 2016 speech, he lauded<\/a> diversity, tolerance and LGBTQ+ rights, saying Norwegians came from Afghanistan and Pakistan, believed \u201cin God, in Allah and in nothing\u201d, and included \u201cgirls who love girls, boys who love boys and girls and boys who love each other\u201d.
Mette-Marit, 53, who has a serious lung disease and had a transplant in July, was a single mother to H\u00f8iby, who was four years old when her engagement to Norway\u2019s crown prince was announced in late 2000.
The marriage, which marked the first time in modern European history that a direct heir to a throne had brought a stepson into a royal family, caused huge controversy in Norway but was strongly backed by King Harald and Queen Sonja.
Mette-Marit acknowledged having what she described as a rebellious youth and prior drug use, holding an emotional press conference a week before the wedding in which she expressed regret for her choices and strongly condemned drug use.<\/p>\n

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Monarch\u2019s death comes at turbulent time for royal family over association of crown princess with Jeffrey EpsteinKing Harald V of Norway, Europe\u2019s oldest reigning monarch, has died aged 89, the royal palace in Oslo has announced. He was succeeded immediately by his son, King Haakon VIII.\u201cIt is with deep sadness that we announce that His […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":222286,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-222285","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/222285","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=222285"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/222285\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/222286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=222285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=222285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=222285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}