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Norway

King Harald V of Norway taken to hospital

Norway’s monarch, King Harald V, has been rushed to the largest hospital in Norway on Friday morning. Harald, who is 83, was taken to the National Hospital in Oslo by ambulance on Friday morning. It is not known, as yet, what is wrong with the King.

The Royal Court has stated that the King is on sick leave and according to protocol, the Crown Prince is put in as regent of Norway.

The following message was published by the royal court on Friday morning: “His Majesty the King on sick leave. His Majesty King Harald was admitted to Rikshospitalet early today. The Crown Prince Regent will lead the state council today.”

The hospital admission came less than 24 hours after King Harald appeared alongside his son on an official engagement. On Thursday. King Harald, accompanied by Crown Prince Haakon announced the end of this year’s season for the Norwegian Royal Yacht “KS Norge” in a small ceremony on board the royal yacht.

Several newspapers commented since the summer that the king does not look particularly healthy. The Royal Court has previously declined to comment on this. In recent years, the king has had problems walking because of a leg injury he sustained during his service as a soldier in his youth. King Harald has previously been successfully treated for cancer after a series of operations in the early 2000s.

Last time the King was sick was in January of this year. Then after being sick for two weeks, there was speculation about the king’s future. The media wondered if the King wanted an extended sick leave or whether he was healthy enough to resume his duties as the monarch after Crown Prince Haakon had been regent for 14 days. On January 23 King Harald resumed his duties as the monarch. There was no official statement as expected.

Royal Central follows the situation closely.

About author

Senior Europe Correspondent Oskar Aanmoen has a master in military and political history of the Nordic countries. He has written six books on historical subjects and more than 1.500 articles for Royal Central. He has also interview both Serbian and Norwegian royals. Aanmoen is based in Oslo, Norway.