28/08/2026
The Honorary President of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, His Majesty King Harald V, has passed away. The Norwegian scientific community is in mourning, together with the Royal Family and the rest of the people of Norway.
His significance for Norwegian basic research can hardly be overestimated. By personally presenting the Abel Prize â the worldâs highest-ranked mathematics prize â in the Universityâs Aula year after year, he raised the profile of academic fields that rarely reach the general public.
The same was true of his long-standing role in the presentation of the Kavli Prize in astrophysics, nanoscience and neuroscience at the Oslo Concert Hall, where he met some of the worldâs leading researchers and put Norwegian science communication on the international map.
King Harald fulfilled the role of Honorary President with genuine commitment. From the time he, as Crown Prince, was elected an honorary member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters in 1980 alongside Crown Princess Sonja, and subsequently when, as King of Norway, he became the Academyâs Honorary President in 1991, he demonstrated a sincere interest in Norwegian research.
The King regularly attended some of the Academyâs annual events, such as the annual general meeting and the Nansen Memorial Lecture, and regularly received the President and Secretary-General in audience at the Royal Palace. In all these meetings, the King demonstrated both professional engagement and human wisdom, and he often contributed humorous observations.
Those who met the King at the Academyâs events remember a man of genuine curiosity â someone who did not merely represent the institution, but listened, asked questions and took a keen interest in the research presented to him. It was this interest in the members and their work, rather than the formal title, that gave substance to the role of Honorary President.
The King always left the Academy with a smile.
Through his work, King Harald continued a long tradition in which the Norwegian Royal Family has supported the countryâs scientific institutions. The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters is deeply grateful to him for the more than 30 years he devoted to Norwegian research and remembers him as an honorary president who made a difference â not just in name, but in deed.
Annelin Eriksen, President of The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters and Marit Westergaard, Secretary-General of The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.
Photos: Various photographers on behalf of The Abel Prize.
John Tate: Photo: Berit Roald / Scanpix for The Abel Prize
Dennis Sullivan: Photo: Naina Helen JĂ„ma / NTB Kommunikasjon / The Abel Prize
Louis Caffarelli: Photo by Liv Anette Luane / Det kongelige hoff
Endre Szemerédi: Photo by Erlend Aas / NTB Kommunikasjon for The Abel Prize
