Norway's King Harald V dies at 89, son becomes King Haakon VIII

Fact-check index: 72/100 — The core facts about Harald's death, Haakon's succession, and the family scandal details are well-supported by the cited sources, but the NATO/gas-supplier context and the Sky News attribution for the 'modest, modern monarchy' image are not backed by the provided source material.

• King Harald V, Europe's oldest reigning monarch, died Friday at 89 after 35 years on the throne, palace announced — Matches France24 ('Europe's oldest reigning monarch...died at the age of 89, the palace announced on Friday') and BBC ('reigned for 35 years').
• Son Haakon automatically succeeded as King Haakon VIII and swears oath before government later Friday — Matches France24 'Norway's King Haakon, the new face of a monarchy shaken by scandal' ('automatically succeeded...He swears an oath before the government later in the day').
• Norway sits on NATO's northern flank and is one of Europe's most important gas suppliers since move away from Russian pipeline imports — Not mentioned anywhere in the supplied source material; appears to be outside context/analysis added by the article without citation.
• A monarch has no governing power under Norway's constitutional system — Not stated in any of the provided sources.
• Harald broke with royal tradition by marrying a commoner and gave a speech celebrating Norway's diversity — Matches BBC: 'broke with tradition by marrying a commoner and celebrated Norway's diversity in a famous speech.'
• Cultivated an image of a modest, modern monarchy, per Sky News — The Sky News excerpt provided only says Harald died after three decades on the throne and contains no mention of a 'modest, modern' image; that phrasing actually matches the France24 Haakon article ('long praised for its modernity and modesty'), so the Sky News citation appears misattributed.
• Mette-Marit underwent lung transplant in June, faced scrutiny over reported Epstein ties, and her son was sentenced to four years for rape — Matches France24 'King Harald's death puts focus on Norway's future king' almost verbatim.
• What to watch: whether scandal affects public trust in the monarchy — Editorial/speculative framing not directly stated in any cited source, though consistent with the 'monarchy shaken by scandal' framing in France24.