00:00Norway's King Harald has died aged 89 with his 53-year-old son, Crown Prince Hakon,
00:07automatically succeeding him.
00:08Europe's oldest reigning monarch, Harald had been in hospital in Oslo since August 17th
00:14after suffering from anemia.
00:18Harald became king in 1991 and had faced a number of health problems in recent years,
00:24including heart issues that led him to having a pacemaker fitted.
00:28Despite his health, Harald had repeatedly ruled out abdicating,
00:32saying he had taken a lifelong oath to serve as king.
00:36Norway does not hold coronations, having abolished the ceremony in 1908.
00:41Instead, Hakon will formally take up his duties after informing the government
00:45of his father's death at an extraordinary council of state.
