Our favourite pictures of King Harald's incredible life following his death aged 89

Despite having two older sisters, it was always Harald who was destined to get the throne. Here, the royal, then aged 13, is seen standing underneath a portrait of his grandfather, Kaakon VII.

A keen sailor, Harald represented Norway at three Olympic Games, competing between 1964 and 1972. Although his best position was sixth, when he made his Olympic debut, he was the flagbearer for the Norwegian athletes.

The then Prince Harald with wife Sonja on their wedding day in 1968. 

Sonja wore a silk wedding gown by Norwegian department store, Molstad and sported flowers in her hair instead of a tiara to secure her veil. 

The couple had dated for nine years but there was controversy over their romance, as Sonja was a commoner. 

Harald told his father Olav that if he was not allowed to marry Sonja he would not marry at all. This would have been a disaster as it would have ended the reign of his family and the Norwegian monarchy, as Harald was the sole heir to the throne. 

Harald and Sonja welcomed their first child, Princess Martha Louise, on 22 September 1971. 

Although Martha Louise is two years older than her brother, King Haakon, she did not feature in the order of succession at the time of her birth, because constitutional law at the time dictated that only males could inherit the Norwegian throne. 

The law changed in 1990 but only applied to those born that year or later.

Females born between 1971 and 1990 were given succession rights but their brothers would still be before them in the line of succession.

Princess Martha Louise shares three daughters with her late husband, Ari Behn, (who died by suicide in 2019) – Maud, Leah and Emma.

The King and Queen pictured with their young child, Martha Louise and Haakon, at their home in Oslo in 1977. 

Harald became King of Norway following the death of his father, King Olav V, on 17 January 1991. The new monarch is seen here leading his father's funeral, which was held 13 days after he passed.

King Harald and Queen Sonja celebrated Haakon's marriage to Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby, on 25 August 2001 at Oslo Cathedral. 

Mette-Marit was already a mother to Marius Borg Høiby, her son from a previous relationship. 

She and Haakon later welcomed their children, Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus, in 2004 and 2005 respectively. 

King Harald and Queen Elizabeth II shared a close friendship, given their family ties. 

When she became monarch in 1952, Norway was the first country outside the Commonwealth where Elizabeth paid a state visit.  

King Harald and Queen Sonja were surrounded by their children and grandchildren at their Silver Jubilee celebrations in 2016.

The palace also released a portrait of the King with his two heirs, the then-Crown Prince Haakon and Princess Ingrid Alexandra, to mark his Silver Jubilee in 2016. 

Princess Ingrid Alexandra is now first in line to Norway's throne and is expected to become the country's second female monarch, after the 15th-century Queen Margaret. 

King Harald was seated alongside Queen Elizabeth II at the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings, where the pair enjoyed a chat and a giggle. 

The King and Queen both celebrated their 80th birthdays in 2017, with a big gala dinner held at the palace to mark the occasion.

King Harald escorted the then Duchess of Cambridge to a banquet during Prince William and Kate's royal tour of Sweden and Norway in 2018. 

Kate was pregnant with her third child, Prince Louis, at the time. 

King Harald and Queen Elizabeth II's last public engagement together was at a Anglo-Norse Society centenary reception in 2018. 

The Norwegian king was among the European royals to pay his respects to the late Queen at her state funeral in London in September 2022.

The King delivered a speech at a glittering gala dinner in honour of his granddaughter Princess Ingrid Alexandra's 18th birthday in 2022. 

It marked Princess Ingrid Alexandra's first tiara moment, where she wore the Boucheron Pearl Circle Tiara. 

Harald's last public appearance before his death came on 22 July 2026. The late monarch headed to Oslo Cathedral to mark the 15th anniversary of the 2011 Norway terrorist attacks, which killed a total of 77 people.