Royal Family Is Hit With Another Major Tragedy Just Days After Harry & Meghan's Return
It has certainly been a trying few years for the royal family. Now, Megxit may be over, with Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex moving back to the U.K. amid an apparent royal family truce. Unfortunately, the family has been hit with another tragedy: King Harald V of Norway, King Charles III's cousin, has died.
"It is with deep grief that we announce that His Majesty King Harald has passed away. King Harald died peacefully at Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet Friday 28 August at 6:35 AM," The Royal Palace in Oslo shared on their website. The royal family followed this up with a statement from Charles on their official Instagram account. "It is with the most profound sadness that my wife and I have learned of the death of my dear cousin, King Harald V of Norway," Charles wrote, adding, "For thirty-five years, King Harald served his people with unwavering dedication, guiding Norway through times of great change with warmth and humility." After Charles' heartfelt message about his cousin, the post included a photo of the relatives standing alongside Queen Camilla and Harald's wife, Queen Sonja.
King Charles is surely in mourning over the loss of his cousin
It may come as a surprise to some that King Charles and the late King Harald are, in fact, second cousins once removed (so Harald's great-grandparents are Charles' great-great-grandparents). Interestingly, there are many other royal families who are surprisingly related to Queen Elizabeth II and her descendants. This overlap comes from Queen Victoria and King Christian IX of Denmark in the royal family tree, as they had a penchant for matchmaking with the goal of keeping royal blood especially royal. This is precisely how Victoria earned the nickname "the grandmother of Europe," per Town & Country.
Charles and Harald have remained close over the years, surely making this particularly painful for the monarch, who has had a difficult few years. Between his and Catherine, Princess of Wales' dual cancer diagnoses, the ups and downs of his feud with Prince Harry, and his brother, disgraced former Prince Andrew, making history for all the wrong reasons, Charles has faced many difficulties in quick succession. Now, with Buckingham Palace flags flying at half-mast in honor of his cousin, the king has yet another trying period to face.