King Charles III mourns Norway's King Harald V with 'profound sadness'

King Charles III is feeling "profound sadness" over the death of his distant cousin, King Harald V of Norway.

The Norwegian monarch died "peacefully" at 6:35 a.m. local time on Friday at the Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, a spokesperson for the Royal Palace announced later that morning.

Reacting to the news, the British monarch said on Friday that he and his wife, Queen Camilla, felt "the most profound sadness" about the death of his "dear cousin".

"As Norway mourns the loss of so towering a figure, my whole family join in remembering a much-loved kinsman and friend whose kindness, compassion and deep sense of duty echoed from across the sea and across the decades," his statement reads.

"The Queen and I extend our deepest and most heartfelt condolences to Queen Sonja and all her family, as Britain shares in Norway's grief at this time of such heartbreaking loss."

King Charles and King Harald were second cousins once removed.

Harald, who spent 35 years on the throne, was admitted to the hospital on 17 August because of a rare blood condition, and his son, Crown Prince Haakon, became regent and took over his duties.

A week later, palace officials shared that his condition had worsened and he was being treated for a "bloodstream bacterial infection".

On Thursday, they revealed that he had "deteriorated" and his condition was "very serious", and in the 24 hours leading up to his death, members of the royal family cancelled their engagements to be by his bedside.

Harald acceded to the throne on 17 January 1991 following the death of his father, King Olav V. He permanently reduced his public engagements in 2024 due to his declining health.

He will be succeeded by his only son, Haakon, 53.

In addition to his son, Harald is also survived by his wife of almost 58 years, Queen Sonja, and their daughter, Princess Märtha Louise, 54.