King Harald, 'symbol' of Norway, dies aged 89

Norway's King Harald died aged 89, the palace has said, and amidst widespread mourning and tributes, his 53-year-old son Haakon immediately succeeded him on the throne.

King Haakon, who announced he would reign under the name King Haakon VIII, takes over a monarchy long hailed for its modernity and modesty, but beset by a string of scandals in recent years.

He arrived at the palace shortly after 9am Irish time with his 22-year-old daughter Ingrid Alexandra, the new crown princess, to meet with the government.

He formally informed the cabinet of his father's death and announced his reign name and his royal motto, "All for Norway", the same as his father's.

The new regent thanked "the government and Norwegian people for their support and sympathy for the Royal Family in this time".

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre expressed sympathies on behalf of the government and the people of Norway.

"King Harald was a person we all grew fond of. We know that King Harald's passing is a great loss for our new king and for the entire Royal Family," Mr Store said, thanking Harald for his "lifelong service".

"An entire nation is in mourning and remains in profound gratitude," he said in the statement.

The government also announced a period of national mourning until the king was buried.

The palace had lowered the flag to half-mast in the morning but it was once again raised after Haakon's arrival.

Another flag on the royal balcony and at other official buildings will remain at half-mast until after Harald's funeral, a date for which has yet to be set.

Thousands of people gathered outside the palace where hundreds of flower bouquets covered the ground, after the palace announced the king was in "extremely serious" condition in hospital yesterday.

Vigdis Haug, 65, said she valued Harald's ability to unify people.

"I think he has been such a down-to-earth king who has cared about all of us, and the words he always uses when he gives a speech are so wise and so valuable," she told AFP.

Haug and others to whom AFP spoke pointed in particular to Harald's speech after the neo-Nazi Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 people in twin attacks on 22 July 2011, in Norway's worst massacre since World War II.

"He was someone who always seemed to find the words that brought us together and gave us a sense of security," Caroline Vagle, a reporter for magazine Se og Hor, told AFP.

Neighbouring Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf called him "an outstanding representative of his country. He gave 'All for Norway'," referring to Harald's royal motto.

Denmark's King Frederik meanwhile called the late monarch "an extraordinary man".

Britain's King Charles III said he mourned the death of his "dear cousin", hailing Harald as a "towering figure".

Harald was king when the Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) were negotiated in the 1990s, and Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he was "deeply saddened" by his passing.

Europe's oldest reigning monarch, King Harald had been in hospital in Oslo since 17 August, suffering from haemolytic anaemia, a condition caused by an abnormally rapid destruction of red blood cells which leads to fatigue and shortness of breath.

Harald, who ascended the Norwegian throne in 1991, embodied an open and tolerant Norway during his reign.

He faced mounting health problems in his final years, forcing him to scale back his official schedule.

But he always ruled out abdicating, arguing that he took a lifelong oath before the Norwegian parliament.

The past year has been a turbulent one for the Norwegian royal family.

In addition to his own health struggles, his wife Queen Sonja, also 89, was briefly admitted to hospital in May due to heart problems.

Haakon's wife Mette-Marit is under scrutiny for her ties to the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

In June, Mette-Marit's son from a relationship prior to her marriage to Haakon, Marius Borg Hoiby, was sentenced to four years in prison for two rapes.

He has appealed the verdict.

Suffering herself from a serious lung disease, Mette-Marit, 53, had to undergo a lung transplant in July.

The royals remain broadly popular with the Norwegian public, in large part to Harald's unifying status and his unassuming, relatively modest lifestyle.