King of Norway dies at age of 89

King Harald V of Norway has died aged 89

and his son becomes King Haakon VIII.

The Norwegian Royal Family has announced that King Harald V passed away

at 6:35 AM local time on Friday at a hospital in Norway's captial Oslo.

He had previously been hospitalized due to a blood-borne bacterial infection

and was undergoing antibiotic treatment.

His son, Crown Prince Haakon, immediately

acceded to the throne, becoming King Haakon VIII.

Born in 1937, Harald V was a cousin of the late British Queen Elizabeth II.

He reigned for over 35 years since ascending the throne in 1991.

Following the death of the British Queen,

Harald V became the oldest reigning monarch in Europe.

In 2018, he paid a state visit to China and met with President Xi Jinping,

marking a milestone of great significance in the history of China-Norway relations.