Norwegians mourn King Harald as son succeeds to throne

Norwegians mourn King Harald as son succeeds to throne Thousands gathered in Oslo to mourn Norway’s King Harald, who died at 89 after 35 years on the throne. OSLO: Hugging and laying flowers, thousands of people gathered in Oslo on Friday (Aug 28) to pay their respects to Norway's King Harald, who died Friday aged 89 after a reign of three and a half decades. Harald's 53-year-old son immediately succeeded him on the throne as King Haakon VIII. He takes over a monarchy hailed for its modernity and modesty, but beset by a string of scandals in recent years. "An era has ended. A new one begins. The king is dead. Long live the king," Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said in a speech shortly after meeting the new monarch. "We will remember King Harald for his love for his people, for his humour and warmth, and for his unwavering faith in us." A motor procession brought King Harald's casket from Oslo University Hospital to the royal palace on Friday evening as wellwishers lined the streets. Haakon arrived at the palace earlier with his 22-year-old daughter Ingrid Alexandra - the new crown princess - to formally inform the government of his father's death. In a statement, Haakon thanked "the government and Norwegian people for their support and sympathy for the Royal Family at this time". Norway's parliament said the new monarch would take an oath of allegiance in its main chamber on Sep 1. The government announced a period of national mourning until Harald's funeral, the date of which is yet to be set. "LIKE A GRANDFATHER" Europe's oldest reigning monarch, King Harald had been in hospital in Oslo since Aug 17, suffering from haemolytic anaemia, a condition caused by an abnormally rapid destruction of red blood cells that leads to fatigue and shortness of breath. Store said Harald, who ascended to the throne in 1991, was "a king of his time and for his time". He said Harald accompanied Norway through decades of enormous change during which the country "grew richer, we became more numerous, and we became more diverse". Thousands of Norwegians massed outside the palace in Oslo throughout the day and even as heavy rains started pouring down in the evening. They laid down mountains of flowers, cards and red, white and blue national flags, and many hugged and held each other. "He has meant a great deal, he has been a unifying king, he has been a king of the people," Line Stousland, 49, told AFP, before going to lay down a bouquet of flowers. She added that he had been "like a grandfather to the whole nation". Harald was widely seen as the embodiment of an open and tolerant Norway. "I really have to mention all the speeches he has given over the years, which have meant a lot to Norway, both in difficult times and also when there have been events to celebrate," 37-year-old Martin Korslund, who arrived at the palace Friday evening, told AFP. Many of those AFP spoke with pointed in particular to Harald's speech after one of the country's biggest recent traumas - a devastating massacre in 2011. Neo-Nazi Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 people in twin attacks, in Norway's worst massacre since World War II. Harald "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. Tributes poured in from leaders around the world, including those of France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Jordan and Ukraine, as well as the royal houses of Europe. TURBULENT YEAR Harald faced mounting health problems in his final years, forcing him to scale back his official schedule. But he 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. Harald's 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. Suffering herself from a serious lung disease, Mette-Marit, 53, underwent a lung transplant in July.