- Born:
- February 21, 1937, Skaugum, Norway
- Died:
- August 28, 2026, Oslo, Norway (aged 89)
- Title / Office:
- king (1991-2026), Norway
- Notable Family Members:
- son Haakon VIII
Harald V
Harald V (born February 21, 1937, Skaugum, Norwayâdied August 28, 2026, Oslo, Norway) was the king of Norway from 1991 until his death in 2026. He succeeded his father, Olav V.
Harald was the youngest of three children born to Olav and Crown Princess MĂ€rtha. However, as the only son, he became crown prince when his father assumed the throne in 1957. Harald attended the Norwegian Military Academy and Balliol College, Oxford, and attained the rank of captain in three branches of his countryâs armed forces. Like his father, he was a fine athlete and excelled at yachting.
Haraldâs courtship of a commoner, Sonja Haraldsen, caused some controversy, and he reportedly threatened to never wed if the couple were prevented from marrying. Olav eventually gave his consent, and, after some nine years of dating, the pair were married on August 29, 1968. Harald and Sonja had two children, MĂ€rtha Louise (born 1971) and Haakon Magnus (born 1973).
Harald became king of Norway upon the death of his father on January 17, 1991. Although the succession law had been changed in 1990 to state that the eldest child, whether male or female, would be first in line to succeed to the throne, it applied only to those born after the amendmentâs passage, and thus Haakon became crown prince. Like the duties of other Scandinavian monarchs, Haraldâs were largely ceremonial.
