EUROPE’S OLDEST MONARCH, HARALD V, DIES AT AGE 89 AS SON HAAKON VIII BECOMES NORWAY’S NEW KING 

King Harald V of Norway died at the National Hospital in Oslo on Friday, making him Europe’s oldest Monarch at the time of his death, aged 89. 

Upon Harald’s death, his 53-year-old son automatically became the country’s new monarch as King Haakon VIII, according to various media reports. 

Harald became king of Norway after his father, King Olav V, died in 1991. He was an active sportsman who represented his country in sailing at the Olympic Games in 1964, 1968 and 1972.

Meanwhile, King Haakon VIII is set to take an oath in a consecration ceremony before the Storting, Norway’s supreme legislature, on 1 September. – GNM/Gilbert Humphrey 

Image: The Royal House of Norway’s Official Website