Norway commenced a fresh era in its history on Saturday under the reign of King Haakon VIII, following the passing of his father, Harald, a cohesive figure who held the crown for three-and-a-half decades.

A nationwide mourning period was proclaimed across the Scandinavian realm after the sovereign passed away on Friday at 6:35 am (0435 GMT) at the age of 89.

Embracing one another and leaving floral tributes, thousands of citizens assembled in the capital city of Oslo on Friday to honor his memory.

Haakon, aged 53, assumes control of a crown celebrated for its contemporary nature and humility, though it has recently been plagued by a series of controversies.

"An era has ended. A new one begins. The king is dead. Long live the king," Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store declared in an address shortly after conferring with the new monarch.

"We will remember King Harald for his love for his people, for his humour and warmth, and for his unwavering faith in us."

Supporters lined the thoroughfares to observe a motorcade transport Harald's coffin from Oslo University Hospital to the royal residence on Friday evening.

Haakon had arrived at the palace earlier alongside his 22-year-old daughter, Ingrid Alexandra—the newly designated crown princess—to officially notify the administration of his father's demise.

In an official declaration, Haakon expressed gratitude to "the government and Norwegian people for their support and sympathy for the Royal Family at this time".

The Norwegian parliament announced that the incoming sovereign will swear an oath of allegiance in its primary chamber on Tuesday.

The span of official mourning will persist until Harald's burial, the timing of which remains undetermined.

Haakon is not anticipated to undergo a formal coronation, a custom that was terminated in 1908.

Nonetheless, similarly to his father and grandfather before him, he might opt to have his rule consecrated via a ceremony at Trondheim Cathedral, where Norwegian rulers were traditionally crowned between 1814 and 1906.

Harald, who stood as Europe's senior-most reigning monarch, had remained hospitalized in Oslo since August 17 while battling haemolytic anaemia, an affliction triggered by the unusually swift breakdown of red blood cells resulting in exhaustion and breathlessness.

Store noted that Harald, who took the throne in 1991, was "a king of his time and for his time".

He mentioned that Harald guided Norway through decades of profound transformation wherein the nation "grew richer, we became more numerous, and we became more diverse".

Thousands of Norwegians crowded around the palace perimeter in Oslo all day long, even as heavy downpours began to fall by evening.

They deposited massive piles of blossoms, greeting cards, and red, white, and blue national banners, with numerous individuals embracing and comforting each other.

"He has meant a great deal, he has been a unifying king, he has been a king of the people," Line Stousland, 49, informed AFP prior to laying down her bouquet, adding that he had been "like a grandfather to the whole nation".

Harald was widely regarded as the personification of an open and inclusive Norway.

A number of individuals interviewed by AFP specifically highlighted Harald's address delivered after neo-Nazi Anders Behring Breivik slaughtered 77 people in 2011, marking Norway's most severe massacre since the Second World War.

Harald "was someone who always seemed to find the words that brought us together and gave us a sense of security," Caroline Vagle, a journalist working for the publication Se og Hor, told AFP.

Condolences likewise flowed in from international sources, spanning European royal houses as well as global chiefs of state, including Donald Trump, who lauded the legacy of "a strong, proud, and greatly respected man".

Harald battled escalating medical complications during his final years, which compelled him to downscale his official engagements.

However, he dismissed the notion of stepping down, maintaining that he had sworn a lifelong vow in front of the Norwegian legislature.

The preceding year proved tumultuous for the Norwegian royal household. Harald's spouse, Queen Sonja, who is also 89, was admitted to a hospital briefly in May due to cardiac difficulties.

Haakon's wife, Mette-Marit, faced public scrutiny regarding her connections to the late American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

In June, Mette-Marit's son from a relationship predating her marriage to Haakon, Marius Borg Hoiby, received a four-year prison sentence for two counts of rape.

Battling a severe pulmonary affliction herself, Mette-Marit, aged 53, underwent a lung transplant procedure in July.