Harald was admitted to Oslo's National Hospital on Monday of last week suffering from hemolytic anemia, a condition in which red blood cells break down faster than the bone marrow can produce replacements. According to statements from the Royal Palace in Oslo, the king's condition deteriorated over the weekend, and he required antibiotic treatment after developing a bacterial blood infection.
The late monarch had faced several serious health challenges throughout his life. In December 2003, he was diagnosed with bladder cancer and underwent surgery at the National Hospital, returning to his duties in April 2004. The following year, in April 2005, he had heart surgery and resumed his royal responsibilities that June after a period of rehabilitation. Harald was known to have been a heavy smoker.
Harald was born February 21, 1937, at the Skaugum estate near Oslo to Crown Prince Olav (later King Olav V) and Crown Princess Märtha of Sweden. His birth marked a historic moment—he was the first Norwegian prince born on Norwegian soil since Olav IV in 1370. Through his ancestry, Harald was a great-grandson of Britain's King Edward VII and ranked 73rd in the line of succession to the British throne.
He had two sisters: Princess Ragnhild, who previously lived in Brazil, and Princess Astrid, who resides in Oslo. When Nazi Germany invaded Norway during World War II, young Harald fled with his mother and sisters to Washington, D.C., while his father and grandfather remained in London with the Norwegian government-in-exile. The family reunited in Norway only after the war ended in 1945.
Harald began university studies in Oslo in summer 1955. He graduated from the Norwegian Military Academy in 1959, then attended Balliol College, Oxford, where he studied history and economics starting in 1960. That same year, he made his first official visit outside Norway, traveling to the United States and strengthening ties with the American-Scandinavian Foundation.
An accomplished athlete, Harald excelled in competitive sailing. He represented Norway at multiple Olympic Games, most notably carrying the Norwegian flag at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. His sailing team won bronze, gold, and silver medals at World Championships held in 1982, 1987, and 1988, respectively. In 2005, he captured a gold medal at the European Championships in Sweden.
In 1968, Harald married Sonja Haraldsen in what was considered a groundbreaking move at the time—she came from a non-royal background, making their union highly unconventional for European monarchy. The couple had two children: Princess Märtha Louise and Crown Prince Haakon, who has now succeeded his father as king.
When King Olav V died on January 17, 1991, Harald assumed the throne. Throughout his 35-year reign, he served in a largely ceremonial capacity, as is customary in Norway's constitutional monarchy, while remaining actively engaged in the nation's public and civic life.
