King Harald V has faced a series of health challenges in recent years, and his latest hospitalisation has brought concern for the 89-year-old Norwegian monarch. The King is currently receiving treatment at Oslo University Hospital after his health deteriorated over the weekend. The Royal Court confirmed that he developed a bacterial infection in his bloodstream and is being treated with antibiotics, to which he has responded. Harald's latest illness follows a string of medical setbacks that have increasingly required hospital care and adjustments to his royal schedule.
In August, the King was admitted to hospital after receiving cortisone treatment for hemolytic anaemia, a condition in which red blood cells are destroyed more quickly than the body can replace them. The treatment led to fluid accumulating in his body, requiring hospital care. Earlier this year, during a holiday in Tenerife with Queen Sonja, he was admitted to hospital with an infection and dehydration. He was treated at Hospital Universitario Hospiten Sur and discharged two days later.
The episode followed another significant health scare in Malaysia in February 2024. Harald became ill with an infection while on holiday and was hospitalised after developing a low heart rate. Doctors fitted him with a temporary pacemaker before he was medically transported back to Norway, where a permanent pacemaker was subsequently implanted. The 2024 episode marked a particularly important change in the King's medical care, as the pacemaker was introduced following the infection and heart-rate problems.
The King's advancing age has also led to changes in his official programme. In its 2024 annual report, the Royal Court said Harald had decided to adjust his schedule out of consideration for his age. Despite those adjustments, he continued carrying out constitutional and ceremonial duties into 2026. As recently as February, he received Canada's Governor General Mary Simon at the Royal Palace alongside Queen Sonja and Crown Prince Haakon. Outside the Royal Palace in Oslo, members of the public have begun leaving flowers and candles.
Queen Sonja and Crown Prince Haakon are understood to have been at his side, while other members of the family have also visited the hospital.