King Harald V of Norway has been admitted to hospital for medical treatment and will take a two-week sick leave, while Queen Sonja is also undergoing monitoring checks.
On Monday, 17 Aug 2026 GMT+7, the Norwegian Royal Palace announced that King Harald V was admitted to hospital and will take a two-week leave from royal duties due to "fluid retention in the body requiring hospital treatment."
The Royal Palace also stated that Crown Prince Haakon, aged 53, will perform royal duties as regent during the king’s sick leave.
In recent weeks, King Harald V, now 89 years old and one of Europe's longest-reigning monarchs, received cortisone hormone treatment for haemolytic anaemia, a rare blood disorder that reduces red blood cell counts.
King Harald ascended the throne in January 1991 and has consistently declined to abdicate publicly.
In 2024, he underwent pacemaker surgery after falling ill while vacationing in Malaysia. That same year, the Royal Palace announced King Harald would "permanently reduce public royal duties" due to his advancing age.
King Harald was hospitalized on Spain’s Tenerife island in February after experiencing infection and dehydration.
Besides King Harald, the Royal Palace revealed that Queen Sonja was hospitalized in May for examinations and monitoring related to heart issues.
The health issues of Norway’s king and queen come amid turmoil within the royal family.
In March, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Crown Prince Haakon’s wife, was linked to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. She told national television she wished she had never met him.
It was revealed that Princess Mette-Marit exchanged hundreds of emails with Epstein between 2011 and 2014, after he was convicted for sex trafficking, and stayed at his Florida home while he was away.
Three months later, in June, Marius Borg Høiby, Princess Mette-Marit's son from a previous relationship, was convicted of two counts of rape and sentenced to four years in prison.
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Source:bbc