Norway’s longest-serving King Harald V has died at the age of 89 following health complications linked to a rare blood disorder.
The Norwegian Royal Family said the monarch passed away peacefully at 6:35 a.m. local time on Friday at the National Hospital in Oslo.
King Harald had been receiving treatment at the hospital since mid-August after his health deteriorated due to hemolytic anaemia, a condition that affects red blood cells.
Members of the royal family, including Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Princess Ingrid Alexandra and the King’s 94-year-old sister, Princess Astrid, were at his bedside on Thursday as his condition worsened.
Crown Prince Haakon, the King’s son, is set to succeed him as Norway’s next monarch.
Following news of his death, members of the public gathered to pay their respects, laying flowers and expressing condolences to the royal family. King Harald had been Norway’s head of state for more than 35 years and was Europe’s oldest reigning monarch at the time of his death.
