NORWAY'S KING HARALD ADMITTED TO HOSPITAL ON TWO-WEEK SICK LEAVE

King Harald V of Norway has been admitted to hospital and placed on sick leave for two weeks, the country's royal household announced on Monday. The 89-year-old monarch is being treated for fluid retention requiring hospital care. Crown Prince Haakon, aged 53, will serve as regent during his father's absence. Harald has been treated in recent weeks with cortisone for haemolytic anaemia, a rare blood condition that reduces red blood cells in the body and causes fatigue and shortness of breath.

Harald ascended Norway's throne in January 1991 and remains one of Europe's longest-serving monarchs. In April 2024, the royal household announced he would make a "permanent reduction" to his public engagements in consideration of his age. The king has ruled out abdicating. He was admitted to hospital in February whilst on the Spanish island of Tenerife, suffering from infection and dehydration, and underwent pacemaker installation in 2024 after falling ill on holiday in Malaysia. Queen Sonja was also admitted to hospital in May this year for examinations and observation due to heart problems.

The hospitalisation follows a difficult period for the Norwegian royal family. In March, Crown Princess Mette-Marit publicly stated she wished she had never met Jeffrey Epstein, the American sex offender, after exchanging hundreds of emails with him between 2011 and 2014. In June, Marius Borg Høiby, the crown princess's son from a previous relationship, was found guilty of two counts of rape and sentenced to four years in prison.