King Harald V of Norway, Europe's oldest reigning monarch, died Friday at the age of 89, his royal court announced. His death comes after a period marked by scandals involving the royal family, including controversies surrounding Crown Princess Mette-Marit's past connections to Jeffrey Epstein and a recent guilty verdict against her son.
Crown Prince Haakon's wife, Mette-Marit, faced renewed scrutiny after the release of the Epstein Files, which detailed her stay at the financier's Palm Beach residence in 2013. At the time, Epstein had already been convicted for soliciting sex from minors. Emails also suggested continued contact between Mette-Marit and Epstein months before his death. The Princess, who has not been accused of any criminal wrongdoing, issued an apology stating the emails did not represent her true self. King Harald had previously defended her, noting she had not acted illegally and had distanced herself from Epstein early on.
Further scandal emerged in June when Mette-Marit's son, Marius Borg Høiby, was convicted of two counts of rape and sentenced to four years in prison. The six-week trial exposed allegations of violence, drug abuse, and sexual misconduct. An Oslo court also found the 29-year-old guilty of assaulting his former girlfriend, issuing threats, and traffic offenses, though he was acquitted of two other rape charges. Høiby had been accused of sexually assaulting four women between 2018 and 2024. He denied the most serious allegations but admitted to some lesser offenses. Investigators presented extensive evidence, including messages and videos, during the trial, which heard that one alleged rape occurred at the Crown Prince's family home.
King Harald had been receiving treatment at Oslo University Hospital for hemolytic anemia and had recently contracted an infection that led to the deterioration of his health. He had previously undergone surgery for a pacemaker after a health scare in Malaysia two years prior. Despite health concerns, the King had stated he would not abdicate, adhering to a lifelong oath taken upon his ascension to the throne in 1991.
Crown Prince Haakon is expected to ascend the throne and may take the name King Haakon VIII. King Charles III of the United Kingdom extended his condolences to the Norwegian royal family, noting his kinship as a second cousin once removed to the late King Harald.