King Harald V of Norway (1937-2026)

Norway's King, Harold V, died earlier today.

Apart from being a king, he was a remarkable man. He represented Norway in three Olympic games (in sailing). As a former athlete he opened the 1994 Winter Olympics. He was an environmentalist and chair of WWF Norway for many years. He was definitely not a traditionalist and didn't have much time for conventions. His new approaches helped reshape the monarchy. So did his personal life. He fell in love with a commoner, Sonja Haraldsen, but his father - King Olav V - was unhappy about the match and was reluctant to allow Harald to marry her. It was expected that he should marry someone from one of Europe's other Royal families. Olav only agreed to that marriage when Harald told him that if he could not marry Sonja he would remain single. They waited nine years for the king's permission but Harald and Sonia eventually married in 1968 and stayed together until his death 58 years later. They had several of their own children, and of course none of them married other Royals. Harald broke that tradition completely.

King Harald was very popular in Norway. Why? Because he was a moderniser, because he knew how to connect with people in very human ways and because he was a unifying figure at times of national crisis. Tove Taalesen, a royal correspondent for Nettavisen, said that Harald was "one of us". Caroline Vagle, who writes for Se og Hør magazine, said that the king had "always been very close to the people. He has never been afraid to show emotion, humour or vulnerability, and that has made him very human."

After the 2011 bombing when Anders Breivik killed eight people, King Harald told his country not to "let fear take over". He reached out to victims' families, saying "I can only imagine the depth of your pain. As King of this nation, I feel for each and every one of you." He has also made speeches welcoming diversity. He embraced modern Norway. In September 2016, Harald spoke about what it meant to be Norwegian and said that Norwegians come from across the world, follow different religions and have different backgrounds and identities.

“Norwegians are from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Poland, from Sweden, Somalia, and Syria. They believe in God, Allah, the Universe and nothing. They are girls who love girls, boys who love boys, and girls and boys who love each other,” he said. “In other words: Norway is you. Norway is us." The Royal family has had its own troubles in recent years but Harald was always seen as a "grandfather figure".

Harald was king for 35 years. As a tribute I would like to look at how he has been shown on Norway's stamps during his reign.

June 1992: First definitive stamp. Other values for the same design were added later.

February 1993: Queen Sonja and King Harald

1997: 60th birthday

2007: 70th birthday

2012: 75th birthday

2013: Crown Prince Haakon's 40th birthday

2017: 80th birthday

2018: 50th wedding anniversary

2022: Royal Anniversaries

Personally, I like the last one because it shows King Harald looking happy and not dressed in any kind of formal way but looking like any gradfather might. The 2017 stamp is also quite good because it shows the king out sailing and enjoying himself. They make him look very human. I am not a huge fan of the definitive stamp style, but I imagine Harald liked it because it was never changed. My thoughts are with King Harald's family and also the people of Norway today.