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Charles and the Queen extended their "deepest and most heartfelt condolences" to Queen Sonja and King Harald's wider family

King Charles has issued a statement following the death of the King of Norway.

King Harald V of Norway has died at the age of 89 after spending more than a week at Oslo University Hospital, where doctors had been treating him for haemolytic anaemia, a rare condition that destroys red blood cells faster than the body can replace them.

The Norwegian royal household said King Harald passed away peacefully at 06:35 local time (04:35GMT) on Friday at the national hospital in Oslo.

On Thursday morning, the King's health had deteriorated to an "extremely serious" state.

Queen Sonja and their son Crown Prince Haakon, 53, immediately set aside all official commitments to remain at his side.

As the monarch's condition worsened, other relatives rushed to the hospital, including Crown Princess Mette-Marit, her son Marius Borg Høiby, and the King's sister Princess Astrid.

Mourners swiftly gathered in Palace Square outside the royal residence in Oslo, laying flowers as word of the King's grave condition spread through the capital.

Cortisone treatment administered in recent weeks had failed to halt his decline.

King Charles paid tribute to his late relative, describing him as "my dear cousin" in a statement issued alongside Queen Camilla.

"It is with the most profound sadness that my wife and I have learned of the death of my dear cousin, King Harald V of Norway," he said. "For thirty-five years, King Harald served his people with unwavering dedication, guiding Norway through times of great change with warmth and humility."

The British monarch highlighted the deep historical bonds between the two nations, noting that Britain was among the first to recognise Norwegian independence and forge diplomatic ties in 1905, connections he said were "even further strengthened during the dreadful trials of the Second World War."

Charles and the Queen extended their "deepest and most heartfelt condolences" to Queen Sonja and the wider family.

Crown Prince Haakon, who had already been serving as regent throughout his father's medical leave, now stands to become Norway's next king.

Harald took the throne in 1991 and was regarded as Europe's oldest reigning head of state, a position he held despite a series of health setbacks that forced him to scale back his public duties over the years.

A pacemaker was implanted in 2024 following an illness during a trip to Malaysia.

Yet the King consistently rejected any suggestion of stepping down. "I stick by what I've always said, that I swore an oath to the Storting (Norwegian Parliament) and it is for life," he once declared.

His 53-year-old son had increasingly shouldered royal responsibilities as Harald's health faltered.

The King's passing capped an extraordinarily testing year for the Norwegian royals. In June, Crown Princess Mette-Marit received a lung transplant after battling a rare form of pulmonary fibrosis diagnosed in 2018.

King Harald had already faced a medical emergency earlier in 2026, when he was rushed to hospital in Tenerife in February with infection and dehydration during a holiday with Queen Sonja.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre cancelled a planned trip to Germany, where he had been due to meet Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday.