Norwegians line up at churches for emotional memorials remembering the late King Harald V

OSLO, Norway (AP) — Norwegians across the country lined up early Sunday in front of cathedrals and churches for memorial services held for the late King Harald V, who died at 89.

“This Sunday is different. His Majesty King Harald is dead. A family has lost their spouse, father, grandfather, father-in-law,” said Dean Pål Kristian Balstad as he opened the funeral service in Oslo Cathedral, Norway's public broadcaster NRK reported.

The royal family attended the service at Asker Church, southwest of Oslo.

Since Harald's death Friday morning, tens of thousands of Norwegians have expressed their grief by laying flowers, writing cards and lighting candles in front of the royal palace in Oslo, where the coffin arrived late Friday from the hospital.

A date for the funeral has not been set, but the country is in a state of mourning and some people decided to postpone celebrations such as weddings and baptisms until after the mourning period has passed, NRK reported.

Harald's son, who became the new King Haakon VIII, eulogized Harald on Saturday night. He expressed his pain over the beloved father's death and promised to lead the country with the same dedication.

“I’m going to miss him. I’ll miss his laughter. His good-natured way of dealing with people and situations,” Haakon said in his first speech as new king that was broadcast live on public Television.

Trying to hold back his tears, he vowed to give everything for the country in the future as its new king.

“That means — in the ultimate sense — being willing to risk everything, even one’s life, for Norway’s freedom and independence,” Haakon said.

The new king adopted the motto “All for Norway,” which dates back to his great-grandfather. His wife became Queen Mette-Marit, while his oldest child, Ingrid Alexandra, became crown princess and heir to the throne.

His tasks in the near future will include shoring up support for the monarchy following controversies over his wife’s past contacts with deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his stepson’s rape conviction.

Norway’s monarchy has old roots, tracing its origins to King Harald Fairhair in the ninth century. When Norway regained its independence from Sweden in 1905, three-quarters of voters in a national plebiscite approved restoring the monarchy. Today, the role is largely symbolic as power lies with an elected parliament, but the country’s royal family retains celebrity and a role in promoting the wealthy nation around the world.

Flowers and condolences surround Stiftsgården following the death of King Harald V on Friday in Trondheim, Norway, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026. (Jan Langhaug/NTB Scanpix via AP)

Flowers and cards laid at the Blue Stone in Bergen for Norway’s King Harald V on Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026. (Silje Katrine Robinson /NTB Scanpix via AP)

Norway's King Haakon, left, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, second left, Queen Sonja and Prince Sverre Magnus lead the mourning service for King Harald in Asker church, Asker, Norway, Sunday Aug. 30, 2026. (Javad Parsa/NTB via AP)

From right, Norway's King Haakon, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Queen Sonja and Prince Sverre Magnus attend the mourning service for King Harald in Asker church, Asker, Norway, Sunday Aug. 30, 2026. (Javad Parsa/NTB via AP)

Norway's King Haakon arrives for the mourning service for King Harald in Asker church, Asker, Norway, Sunday Aug. 30, 2026. (Cornelius Poppe/NTB via AP)

REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) — Iceland's voters rejected a proposal to restart negotiations on joining the European Union more than a decade after previous talks ended, the national broadcaster reported Sunday.

The vote will put the long-debated issue to rest more than a decade after a euroskeptic government ended EU talks.

Opponents defeated the measure by a margin of 52.8% to 47.2%, RUV reported. The capital of Reykjavik was the only area in the island nation of 400,000 people where a majority supported the referendum.

The vote Saturday was held in the shadow of U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to control nearby Greenland, which drove some voters to favor the idea of European solidarity. Although Iceland is a NATO member, supporters said they would have greater protection from their neighbors if Trump ever made similar threats toward the volcanic island.

Iceland’s left-leaning coalition government, elected in 2024, moved up the EU referendum it had planned for next year after Trump mistakenly named Iceland four times while speaking about his designs on Greenland.

Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir, who campaigned in support of the measure, said she hoped the result would not divide the nation.

“I don’t feel that there is bitterness,” she told RUV before the final results were tallied. “I know tempers run high for some people, but I have now spent time with a large group of people from all over the country and people are quite open to different outcomes.”

It was a simple yes-or-no question for roughly 265,000 eligible voters: Should Iceland resume accession negotiations with the European Union?

The vote count through the night had the nation on edge as the “Yes” vote took an early lead before eventually swinging in favor of the opposition. By dawn, a margin of only a few hundred votes separated the two camps before the gap grew as more ballots were tallied in areas of the country where opposition was greater.

“This isn't the time to go. Maybe 10, 15, 20 years or more, like, we can take another look,” said Daniel Bjarkason, who voted against the measure. "But for now we’re too divided and that’s not a good look, because it should be 70-30 Yes if we’re going to do it.”

Opponents rallied around fishing and the fact that Iceland already reaps benefits from being in the EU’s frictionless single market and the Schengen free-travel zone without the sovereignty compromises that inevitably come with full membership. They argued that Iceland’s voice would be muted in the large European Parliament and that it would be better off cutting its own trade deals, such as one with China.

Backers said EU membership would lower inflation and interest rates, and the euro would bring more stability than Iceland’s volatile króna. They said it was also in the nation’s interest to get closer to its European neighbors to tackle issues that don’t respect borders, such as climate change.

If the proposal had been approved, it would have been a preliminary step to revive the lengthy negotiating process with the EU’s executive branch, the European Commission, to discuss areas from the economy to human rights. Voters would have needed to approve any negotiated deal.

The influential fishing industry led opposition to the referendum out of fear that the bloc’s common fisheries policy would allow Spanish, Dutch and other trawlers into its valuable waters.

Descendants of Vikings who settled in Iceland have lived off the sea for centuries and the bountiful catches of cod, haddock and capelin are central to its national identity. It won its independence from Denmark in 1944 and has a proud history of refusing to be pushed around by bigger and richer European nations, winning the so-called Cod Wars with Britain in the 1970s over its fishing grounds.

Melley reported from London.

Supporters of the Yes campaign celebrate after Reykjavik results put their side into a narrow nationwide lead during an election-night gathering in Reykjavik, Iceland, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Di Marco)

A supporter waves a European Union flag during an election-night gathering for the yes in Reykjavik, Iceland, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Di Marco)

Former Icelandic Prime Minister and Centre Party leader Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, left, Independence Party leader Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir, center, and Progressive Party leader Lilja Dögg Alfreðsdóttir talk during a No campaign election-night gathering in Reykjavik, Iceland, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Di Marco)

Leaders of the No campaign react as early results from rural Iceland put the No side ahead during an election-night gathering in Reykjavik, Iceland, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Di Marco)