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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 BBC reported.
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, according to the BBC.
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.
Harald was born on 21 February 1937 on the Skaugum estate near Oslo.
He was three when dictator Adolf Hitler ordered Norway's invasion by Nazi Germany early in World War Two.
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.