Norway’s King Harald V has passed away. The Norwegian royal family really allowed people to know that he would be gone this week. He was hospitalized over the weekend and the family’s statement made it clear that his health was rapidly declining. The family released another statement on Thursday saying that his condition was “extremely serious.” Everyone in the family canceled their events and visited their patriarch in the hospital. Everyone got a chance to say goodbye. Norwegians got the chance to say goodbye as well – thousands kept vigil outside the hospital, laying flowers and singing Norway’s national anthem. His son Haakon is now king, and Mette-Marit is now queen consort. Even in Harald’s obituary, Mette-Marit’s sordid relationship with Jeffrey Epstein takes up space.

King Harald V of Norway, whose 35-year reign opened an ancient monarchy to a contentious cast of family connections, including a draper’s daughter; a celebrity shaman; and Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier, died on Friday. He was 89.

The king died at University Hospital Rikshospitalet in Oslo, the Royal Court said in a statement. He had been receiving treatment for a bacterial infection of his blood and members of the royal family had gathered at the hospital on Thursday as his condition deteriorated.

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said in a statement on Friday, “A whole nation is in mourning and the people of Norway are left with a deep sense of gratitude for a long life in the service of Norway.”

“King Harald found the words to bind us together when we needed them the most,” he added.

The king was born into a centuries-old lineage that shared part of its heritage with the British monarchy, anchoring him in a network of inherited privilege in an era when Europe was moving toward replacing all-powerful rulers with more ceremonial constitutional monarchs like Harald. He was a distant cousin of King Charles III of Britain.

Of his reign’s many collisions between tradition and modernity, perhaps the most perilous came recently.

This year, the United States Department of Justice released a huge trove of documents related to Mr. Epstein, including emails linking Crown Princess Mette-Marit, the king’s daughter-in-law, to the sex offender.

In the emails, the relationship between the crown princess and Mr. Epstein — unfolding several years after Mr. Epstein was convicted in 2008 on charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution — came across as intimate and teasing, and showed that she was closer to him than the palace had previously acknowledged. The disclosures prompted questioning of Mette-Marit’s suitability as a future queen and emboldened some Norwegians to call for the abolition of the monarchy.

[From The NY Times]

Yes, Mette-Marit’s scandalous and disgusting relationship with Jeffrey Epstein overshadowed Harald’s final years, but don’t forget about “the royal stepson,” Mette-Marit’s son Marius Borg Hoiby, a serial sexual predator who was convicted of 34 serious crimes, most of the crimes against women. All of this unfolded in Harald’s final years, when his health was failing and his mobility was limited. Still, people supported Harald and supported the monarchy. Haakon, now king, seems pretty popular as well – he was especially active and visible around Norway’s historic quarterfinal run at the World Cup.

King Charles posted a tribute to Harald, king to king. I wonder who the Windsors will send to the funeral? It might be a rare moment when Charles attends himself, especially given that they were cousins.

A message from The King following the demise of King Harald V of Norway. pic.twitter.com/8wnLWHDPBG

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) August 28, 2026

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.