Norway’s King Harald V hospitalised and placed on sick leave, palace says

Norway’s Monarch Admitted to Hospital; Crown Prince Haakon Assumes Regency

Poinews.com – The Norwegian royal palace confirmed that King Harald V, aged 89, has been taken into hospital and will observe a two-week period of sick leave. During his absence, Crown Prince Haakon will serve as regent, the palace announced.

The monarch’s condition is haemolytic anaemia — a blood disorder in which red blood cells are destroyed prematurely. According to the palace communication, cortisone therapy administered over recent weeks triggered fluid retention throughout the body, necessitating inpatient care.

“In recent weeks, the King has been treated with cortisone,” the palace’s statement reads. “This has led to fluid retention in the body, which requires hospital treatment.”

A Reign Spanning Over Three Decades

Harald ascended the Norwegian throne on 17 January 1991 after the passing of his father, King Olav. He wed Queen Sonja in 1968, and the couple have reigned together for more than three decades.

A Pattern of Royal Health Setbacks

The past several months have brought a string of medical challenges to the Norwegian royal family. In May, Princess Astrid — Harald’s sister — was hospitalised with heart failure. Queen Sonja, too, required hospital care that same month for heart-related complications.

In June, Crown Princess Mette-Marit received a new lung in a successful transplant operation. She had been diagnosed in 2018 with a rare variant of pulmonary fibrosis, a condition that scars lung tissue and impairs breathing. Though discharged in mid-July, she is not anticipated to resume official duties for at least six months while she continues to recover.

Beyond health concerns, the family has endured the judicial proceedings surrounding Mette-Marit’s son, Marius Borg Høiby. In June, he received a four-year prison sentence on two counts of rape alongside additional offences.