King of Norway's health has worsened, palace says

The Royal Palace announced that King Harald V’s condition has deteriorated, noting that he remains hospitalized and is receiving antibiotics for a bloodstream bacterial infection. Although the monarch has responded to treatment, the palace said he will continue his stay at Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, and remain on leave from royal duties until further notice. The 89‑year‑old sovereign, who has reigned since 1991, was admitted a week ago. Crown Prince Haakon, 53, is acting as regent while the king is away. In recent weeks the king has been treated with cortisone for a rare blood disorder, haemolytic anaemia, which lowers red‑blood‑cell counts and leads to fatigue and shortness of breath. In April 2024 the royal household stated that King Harald would make a “permanent reduction” to his national engagements “out of concern for his age.” Later that year he received a pacemaker after falling ill during a vacation in Malaysia. The Norwegian royal family has faced a difficult 2026. Crown Princess Mette‑Marit underwent a lung transplant in June after being diagnosed with a rare form of pulmonary fibrosis in 2018. The transplant occurred two days before her son, Marius Borg Høiby, was sentenced to four years in prison for two counts of rape. Høiby denied the most serious charges, and his lawyers said he would appeal the verdict. At 29, he was four years old when his mother married Crown Prince Haakon and does not hold a royal title. Earlier in the year documents emerged showing Mette‑Marit’s extensive contact with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. She later apologised to the king and queen for her three‑year relationship with Epstein, admitted to “poor judgement,” and in a national television interview said she wished she had never met him.