King of Norway's health has worsened, palace says
Norway's King Harald remains in hospital receiving antibiotics for a bloodstream bacterial infection.
The Norwegian palace has announced a decline in the health of King Harald V, who is currently hospitalized and receiving antibiotics for a bacterial bloodstream infection.
Despite the worsening of his condition, the monarch has responded to the treatment, the palace stated. He will continue to receive care at Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, and will remain on leave from his royal responsibilities indefinitely.
The 89-year-old sovereign, who ascended to the throne in 1991, was admitted to the hospital and placed on sick leave a week prior.
His son, Crown Prince Haakon, 53, has been acting as regent during his father's absence.
In recent weeks, King Harald has been undergoing treatment with cortisone for hemolytic anemia, a rare blood disorder that diminishes red blood cell count, leading to fatigue and breathlessness.
In April 2024, the Norwegian royal household indicated that King Harald would implement a "permanent reduction" in his public engagements, citing his age. That same year, the king had a pacemaker implanted after falling ill during a vacation in Malaysia.
The Norwegian royal family has already navigated a difficult year in 2026.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit, wife of Crown Prince Haakon, underwent a lung transplant in June. She had been diagnosed with a rare form of pulmonary fibrosis in 2018.
The transplant occurred just two days after Mette-Marit's son, Marius Borg Høiby, was sentenced to four years in prison following his conviction on two counts of rape. He had denied the more serious allegations, and his legal team stated their intention to appeal the sentence.
Høiby, 29, was four years old when his mother married Crown Prince Haakon and is not a member of the royal family himself.
Earlier in the year, documents were released that revealed Mette-Marit's frequent communication with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
She subsequently apologized to Norway's king and queen for her three-year association with Epstein, acknowledging "poor judgment" and expressing in a national television interview that she wished she had never met him.