King Harald V of Norway Dies at 88, Princess Ingrid Alexandra Becomes First Female Heir in 600 Years
King Harald V of Norway died peacefully at Rikshospitalet in Oslo on Friday, 28 August 2026, at 06:35. He was 88. The Norwegian Royal Court announced his death on its official website, Kongehuset.no, and said the site would be temporarily unavailable while updates were made.
Harald had been Europe's oldest serving head of state. He was admitted to hospital on 17 August 2026 and treated for a bacterial infection in his blood, according to the Norwegian palace (New York Post). Reuters reported he was also being treated for anaemia (Reuters). On 27 August, the Royal House published a press release stating that his health had deteriorated and his condition remained unchanged.
With Harald's death, his son Crown Prince Haakon becomes King of Norway. Haakon's wife, Mette-Marit, becomes Queen. The new King was expected to take a formal accession oath before the Council of State and the Storting, Norway's parliament. No coronation ceremony has taken place in Norway since 1906, and Norwegian law does not require one (Hello!).
Haakon's accession means his eldest child, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, becomes heir to the throne — the first woman to hold that position in Norway in over 600 years. The last female Norwegian monarch was Queen Margaret, who died in 1412.
Ingrid Alexandra turned 22 on 21 January. She is in the first year of a three-year social sciences degree at the University of Sydney, where she lives on campus. Before enrolling, she completed military training at the Engineer Battalion in Brigade Nord, Norway's northernmost army brigade. She also holds a gold medal from the Norwegian junior surfing championship.
Her schooling was notably varied: a state primary school, the private Oslo International School, Oslo's Uranienborg School, and Elvebakken Upper Secondary School. Her godparents include three reigning or future Scandinavian royals — King Felipe of Spain, King Frederik of Denmark, and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden.
King Harald V reigned for nearly 33 years, having succeeded his father King Olav V in 1991. Born in 1937, he was Norway's first king born on Norwegian soil in 567 years at the time of his birth. The Royal Court said he passed away peacefully.
For Norway, the accession of Haakon and the elevation of Ingrid Alexandra to heir presumptive settles the line of succession for at least one more generation. It also places a 22-year-old student in Sydney at the heart of Norway's constitutional future.
