Norwegians, politicians and royals are grieving the death of beloved King Harald V, as a period of national mourning begins and his son King Haakon VIII assumes the throne. After Harald's death was confirmed early on Friday, crowds amassed at the royal palace in Oslo, laying flowers and flags, some mourners visibly in tears.

Hours later, the new king met government ministers for an extraordinary council of state meeting, after which the 53-year-old confirmed he was taking on the royal family's motto "All for Norway".

Harald passed away peacefully in medical facility at 06:35 local time (04:35 GMT) aged 89, after receiving treatment there for a rare blood condition since last week. Memorials outside the palace included a candle with the word "thanks" written on it The late monarch has been described as an inclusive, transparent and empathetic "people's king" who modernised the Norwegian monarchy.

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European Royals Including King Updates

European royals, including King Charles III - whose mother Queen Elizabeth II was Harald's second cousin - as well as political leaders and ordinary citizens, paid tribute to his service and the stability he brought to the country. In a televised memorial address - one of multiple eulogies Støre was joined Norwegian national footballer Erling Haaland thanked Harald for "everything you meant to Norway" in a post on Instagram, adding that it had been an honour to meet him earlier in the summer at the palace following the Fifa World Cup.

In the country's capital, Norwegians shared their grief and affection for the late king. "I personally will say he was everything for us, especially being an immigrant," Biteya Terfassa, an Oslo resident who was born in Ethiopia, told news agency Reuters outside the palace. "He made us feel at home and he made us feel loved.

So he was like a grandfather that I never had." This video can not be played Norwegians have been laying tributes and remembering the late King Harald V following his death. At noon, the Norwegian Armed Forces honoured Harald with a funeral salute of 21 shots from Akershus Fortress in central Oslo.

Later on Friday, a procession left the chapel at Rikshospitalet, where Harald passed away, and headed to the palace.

Norway Declared Period National Updates

Norway has declared a period of national mourning until the day of his funeral, which has not yet been confirmed. Flags will be flown at half-mast, while his portrait will be displayed, candles lit and moments of silence held at professional events. All non work-related social events will be cancelled or postponed.

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Oslo Mayor Anne Lindboe, who was due to get married on Friday, even postponed her wedding . King Haakon, who is Harald's younger child, is now the monarch and his wife Mette-Marit queen.

He is due to take an oath before the Norwegian parliament on Tuesday and will later participate in a consecration service - a stripped-down version of a corronation, which Norway no longer has.

His daughter, the 22-year-old Ingrid Alexandra, who joined her father to meet ministers at the palace on Friday, is next in line to the throne as crown princess after the rules of succession changed in 1990 to allow firstborn women to inherit the crown. Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, second from right, stood Haakon assumes his new role at a difficult time, as the royal family has faced health challenges and scandals this year.

Now-Queen Mette-Marit came under inquiry earlier this year when it was revealed that she had a three-year friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, for which she has publicly apologised. Later in the year, she received a lung transplant, after suffering from pulmonary fibrosis since 2018.

Doctors will not declare her stable until next year, meaning her husband must balance his new official duties with her care.

Meanwhile, Mette-Marit's son from a previous relationship, Marius Borg Høi He is appealing. Høi Although Harald remained popular until his death, a poll for newspaper Aftenposten earlier this year found that support for the monarchy had dropped from 72% in 2024 to 54%.

However, Norwegian royal experts informed the BBC that the new king, while facing questions about the turbulence surrounding his family, was respected, hard-working and, they believed, able to move forward despite the challenges.

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