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Norway

King Harald discharged from hospital

King Harald has been discharged from hospital three days after he was admitted on Friday morning. The King is said to have entered his black limousine without help. Shortly afterwards, the car left the area, escorted by two cars from the royal bodyguards. The press could see the King leave the hospital shortly after 1pm Monday.

Shortly after the King left the hospital, an update on King Harald’s health was published by the Norwegian Royal Court. The full statements is as follows: “His Majesty the King has been discharged from Rikshospitalet. The hospital continues the investigation, and the King is still on sick leave until 4 October.”

It is not clear what caused the king to struggle to breathe on Friday. It is probable that the King was transported to the royal estate and farm at Bygdøy, where it is known that the King and Queen usually stay until late autumn.  

On Friday, it was announced that King Harald had been admitted to hospital in Oslo. The admission was due to the fact that the king was suffering from heavy breathing. Covid-19 was excluded as a possible cause.

On Friday evening, the royal court announced that His Majesty would be on sick leave until 4 October.

The King was supposed to join Queen Sonja at Lillehammer on Friday to mark the completion of Sonja’s childhood home becoming a museum. Queen Sonja continued to go to Lillehammer alone, reassuring Norwegians that her husband’s health was not too serious.

At Lillehammer Her Majesty said: “It looks like it is going very well. The King himself is happy and the doctor is happy. He will take some test`s and will soon be on his feet.” When asked if the King was on his feet, the Queen said: “Not yet, but he will probably be on his feet`s very soon.”

King Harald is on sick leave until October 4, meaning he will not be in attendance when the Parliament opens on Friday 2 October. Crown Prince Haakon will for the first time open the parliament.  The last time a crown prince opened the Norwegian Parliament was in 1990.

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.