Norway's King Harald dies aged 89

Norway's King Harald V has died at the age of 89, after he was taken to hospital last week for treatment for a rare blood condition.

The palace in Oslo said he passed away peacefully at 06:35 local time (04:35GMT) on Friday at the national hospital in Oslo. The royal flag on the roof of the palace has been lowered to half-mast.

In the 24 hours leading up to his death, members of the royal family had visited the king, and crowds had laid flowers at the palace.

Harald was Norway's first king born in Norway since the 14th Century. He has been succeeded by his son Haakon, 53, who will hold an extraordinary council of state with the government later on Friday.

After 35 years on the throne, Harald will be remembered as a popular and reforming figure who modernised the monarchy, broke with tradition by marrying a commoner and served as a unifying figure at Norway's most difficult moments.

Royal observers say he was down-to-earth, respected and beloved, describing him as a "grandfather" of the nation and the "People's king" - a title also used by his father King Olav V.

In the wake of the 2011 bomb and gun attacks on Oslo and the island of Utøya, Harald appealed to Norwegians to support each other and not "let fear take over".

More recently, Harald and his family faced health challenges and scandal, especially over his daughter-in-law Mette-Marit's association with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and her son Marius Borg Høiby's conviction for rape.

During his reign, the Norwegian monarchy became more egalitarian and transparent with finances and health, Ole-Jørgen Schulsrud-Hansen, historian and TV2 royal correspondent, told the BBC.

Tove Taalesen, royal correspondent for Nettavisen, described the late king as "one of us", while Caroline Vagle, royal expert for Se og Hør magazine, said he had "always been very close to the people".

When Norway's national football team returned from the US after making it to the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time, Harald welcomed them home at the palace.

He is survived by his wife of almost 58 years, Queen Sonja, their daughter Princess Märtha Louise, their son, the new King Haakon, and six grandchildren.

He was three when dictator Adolf Hitler ordered Norway's invasion by Nazi Germany early in World War Two.

Harald's mother fled with her children across the border to Sweden, and they travelled to the US on the invitation of President Franklin D Roosevelt.