Norway's King Harald V has experienced a worsening of his health while receiving treatment for a bloodstream bacterial infection, the Norwegian Royal House announced. The 89-year-old monarch is currently hospitalized at Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, where he is being administered antibiotics.
Despite the deterioration in his condition, the King has shown a positive response to the treatment. He will remain on sick leave from his royal duties indefinitely.
King Harald, who ascended to the throne in 1991, was admitted to the hospital a week prior to this update. His son, Crown Prince Haakon, has been acting as regent during his father's absence.
This is not the first health concern for the King in recent times. He had been undergoing treatment with cortisone for a rare blood condition, haemolytic anaemia, which causes a reduction in red blood cells and leads to symptoms such as fatigue and shortness of breath. In April 2024, the royal household announced a permanent reduction in his public engagements due to his age. Earlier that year, he was fitted with a pacemaker after falling ill during a holiday in Malaysia.
The Norwegian Royal Family has faced other health challenges. Crown Princess Mette-Marit, wife of Crown Prince Haakon, underwent a lung transplant in June following a diagnosis of a rare form of pulmonary fibrosis in 2018. This procedure occurred shortly after Mette-Marit's son, Marius Borg Høiby, was sentenced to prison for rape charges, a conviction his legal team intends to appeal.
Further complicating the year for the royal family, documents surfaced earlier in 2026 revealing Mette-Marit's past contact with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. She later issued an apology for her three-year association with Epstein, admitting to poor judgment and expressing regret over the association.