King Harald of Norway dies

King Harald of Norway has died aged 89, after more than three decades on the throne.

The palace confirmed the death of the monarch, who was a great-great-grandchild of Britain's Queen Victoria, on Friday.

King Harald had been Europe's oldest living monarch, and was taken to hospital on 17 August.

The palace said he was being treated for a bacterial infection in his blood.

His death comes at a tumultuous time for the Norwegian royal family, which has been battered by multiple scandals in recent years.

After the monarch's death, Harald's son Crown Prince Haakon, 53, is now King of Norway.

"King Harald passed away peacefully at Oslo University Hospital on Friday 28 August, 06:35 (local time)," the
royal palace said on its website.

Since assuming the throne in 1991, King Harald has slowly introduced modern touches that brought a ceremonial post, seen mainly as a ⁠symbol of national independence, into the 21st century.

The popular king was central to comforting the nation in times of mourning.

When far-right, anti-Islam fanatic Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 people in 2011 in Oslo and on Utoeya island, King Harald trembling with emotion, delivered a speech in which he said "freedom ‌is stronger than fear".

Late in life he spoke up for tolerance, declaring in a 2016 speech that Norwegians could have many backgrounds, beliefs and sexual orientations.

Norway's royal family has come under intense scrutiny in recent years, with Crown Princess Mette-Marit, married to Crown Prince Haakon, facing criticism over her friendship with ​the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Her son Marius Hoiby, born from a relationship predating her marriage to Haakon, was found guilty in ‌June of two out of four counts of rape and one count of domestic violence and sentenced to four years in prison after a seven-week trial.

Two days after Marius was convicted, the palace said Mette-Marit had undergone a successful ​lung transplant, without
specifying when the procedure took place.

Support for the monarchy dropped to 60% in February, down from 70% the previous month, according to a Norstat poll published by public broadcaster NRK, rising slightly to 64% in May.

A sailor, he captained his boat to win a world championship title and competed in several Olympics, but failed to repeat his father's feat of winning Olympic gold.

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