Norway's royal family gathers at King Harald's bedside as his condition worsens
The 89-year-old has been in hospital for over a week receiving treatment for a rare blood condition.
Norway's royal family has converged at King Harald's hospital bedside as his health deteriorates, with the royal household describing his condition as "extremely serious."
His wife, Queen Sonja, and son, Crown Prince Haakon, have canceled all official engagements to be with him at Oslo University Hospital, joined by other family members. The 89-year-old monarch, Europe's oldest head of state, has been hospitalized for over a week, receiving treatment for haemolytic anaemia, a rare blood disorder.
Crown Prince Haakon, 53, the heir to the Norwegian throne, has been acting as regent during his father's medical leave. King Harald has recently been treated with cortisone for haemolytic anaemia, a condition that reduces red blood cells, causing fatigue and shortness of breath.
On Thursday morning, members of the royal family, including Crown Princess Mette-Marit, wife of Crown Prince Haakon, were seen arriving at the hospital. Norwegian media reports also indicate that King Harald's sister, Princess Astrid, is present.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre issued a statement to the media, saying, "The whole nation is with us as we send warm thoughts to the king and the rest of the royal family."
In recent years, the king has experienced multiple health issues, leading him to reduce his royal duties. In 2024, he received a pacemaker after falling ill during a holiday in Malaysia.
The Norwegian royal family has already faced a difficult year in 2026. Crown Princess Mette-Marit underwent a lung transplant in June, following her 2018 diagnosis with a rare form of pulmonary fibrosis. This transplant occurred two days after her son, Marius Borg Høiby, was sentenced to four years in prison for two counts of rape. Høiby, 29, who denies the most serious charges, plans to appeal the sentence. He was four years old when his mother married Crown Prince Haakon and is not a royal figure himself.
Earlier in the year, documents revealed Crown Princess Mette-Marit's frequent contact with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. She later apologized to the King and Queen of Norway for her three-year friendship with Epstein, admitting to "poor judgment" and stating in a national TV interview that she wished she had never met him.