King Harald V of Norway has died aged 89 after treatment for a rare blood condition, prompting flags at the royal palace in Oslo to be lowered to half-mast. His son, Haakon, 53, succeeds him and was due to hold an extraordinary council of state with the government. Harald’s death ends a 35-year reign in which he was widely seen as a modernising, unifying monarch.

The palace said he died peacefully at Oslo’s national hospital at 06:35 local time on Friday. Born in 1937, Harald became king in 1991 and helped make the monarchy more egalitarian, including through his marriage to Sonja Haraldsen, a commoner; he is survived by Queen Sonja, two children and six grandchildren. He was remembered for urging national solidarity after the 2011 attacks, although recent years also brought family health concerns and public scandals.