King Harald V of Norway died on Friday at the age of 89 after three decades on the throne, the royal family announced.
He was recognized as a modernizer, making the royal family more accessible to the people.
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Harald gave his approval for his children to marry people without noble titles, as they did not come from royal or aristocratic families.
The king himself had to wait nine years in the 1960s to receive permission from his father (King Olaf) to marry his beloved, Sonia Haraldsen (now Queen Sonja), who was also a “common mortal” (the daughter of a merchant).
Harald V (born February 21, 1937) ascended to the throne following his father’s death on January 17, 1991.
Harald was the third child and only son of King Olaf V and Princess Martha of Sweden. He was second in line to the throne at the time of his birth, after his father. In 1940, due to the German occupation during World War II, the royal family went into self-imposed exile. Harald spent part of his childhood in Sweden and the United States. He returned to Norway in 1945 and subsequently studied for periods at the University of Oslo, at the Norwegian Military Academy, and at Balliol College, Oxford.
As a descendant of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, he was 63rd in line to the British throne.
On December 1, 2003, it was announced that he was suffering from cancer. He underwent successful surgery in Oslo and was temporarily replaced in his duties by the heir to the throne, Haakon. Harald returned to his duties on April 13, 2004.
He was the commander-in-chief of the Norwegian Armed Forces. He was also honorary president of the International Sailing Federation alongside Constantine II, former King of Greece.
Source: skai.gr
