Norwegian King Harald’s health has ‘deteriorated’: Palace

Norway’s eldest monarch faces worsening health as palace alerts public

Norway’s 89‑year‑old King Harald V was declared to have deteriorated health over the weekend, a development that has sparked immediate concern about the continuity of royal duties and the nation’s ceremonial calendar. Europe’s oldest reigning monarch remains hospitalised at Oslo University Hospital, where he was admitted on Aug 17 due to fluid retention from the cortisone treatment he is receiving and placed on sick leave for two weeks.

The palace issued a statement on Aug 24 confirming that the king’s condition had slipped while receiving inpatient care.

Media additions

"His Majesty the King’s health deteriorated over the weekend."

Palace statement, via Straitstimes

He is being treated with antibiotics for a bacterial infection in his blood and, according to the palace statement reported across multiple outlets, has responded to this treatment and remains in a stable condition.

Crown Prince Haakon has been serving as regent during the hospitalisation, shouldering the day‑to‑day responsibilities of the head of state. The palace confirmed Haakon’s regency in updates reported by The Independent and AP News.

Visits from senior members of the royal family offered a brief public reassurance over the weekend. According to reporting by DW and the Norwegian tabloid Verdens Gang, the king was joined at the hospital by Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette‑Marit and the king’s sister.

Medical background and recent hospitalisations

Harald’s current bout is part of a pattern of health challenges that have increasingly limited his public schedule. The haemolytic anaemia that underpins his current treatment causes an abnormally rapid destruction of red blood cells, leading to fatigue, paleness and shortness of breath. To manage the disease, doctors prescribed cortisone, a steroid that can cause fluid retention—the exact issue that triggered his admission on Aug 17.

Earlier in the year, the king suffered an infection and dehydration in Tenerife, where he was on a private trip with Queen Sonja. In February 2024, the king fell ill during a private holiday with Queen Sonja in Malaysia and received a temporary pacemaker there. Harald returned aboard a medical airplane to Norway, where he was fitted with a permanent pacemaker. These episodes, compiled by Illawarra Mercury, illustrate the cumulative strain of his medical issues. Queen Sonja, also 89, was briefly admitted to hospital in May due to heart problems, as noted by Straitstimes and Malaymail.

Despite recurring ailments and scaled‑back official activities, Harald has repeatedly ruled out abdication, insisting his oath as king is for life.

Family dynamics and public scrutiny

The king’s health woes arrive as the royal family navigates a series of public controversies. Crown Princess Mette‑Marit is under scrutiny for her ties to the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Documents published in January in the United States revealed her sustained and at times intimate correspondence with Epstein between 2011 and 2014, at a time when the American financier had already been convicted. Mette‑Marit, who also had to undergo a lung transplant in July, is suffering herself from a serious lung disease.

Compounding the royal family's difficulties, Mette‑Marit’s son from a previous marriage, Marius Borg Hoiby, is also in the spotlight as a result of his legal troubles. He was sentenced in June to four years in prison for two rapes and 32 other charges, including violence against a former partner. Malaymail noted that he has appealed the verdict.

Public sentiment and constitutional implications

The royals remain broadly popular with the Norwegian public, in large part to Harald’s unifying figure.

Timeline of recent events

• Aug 17 – King Harald admitted to Oslo University Hospital due to fluid retention from the cortisone treatment he is receiving and placed on sick leave for two weeks.
• Aug 23 – Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette‑Marit and the king’s sister visit him in hospital.
• Aug 24 – Palace announces the king’s health deteriorated over the weekend; confirms antibiotic treatment for a blood infection and a stable condition.
• Sept 1 and Sept 2 – Planned visit to the central region of Trondelag cancelled, falling outside the initial sick leave period.