Norwegian King Harald's Health Gets Worse, Palace Says

Norway's King Harald V, who is 89 years old, has been in the hospital since August 17 because of a serious blood condition. On August 24, the royal palace announced that his health had gotten worse over the weekend. Doctors are now treating him for a bacterial infection in his blood, and the palace said he has responded to that treatment. The king is one of the oldest ruling monarchs in all of Europe.

King Harald is being treated for a condition called haemolytic anaemia. This happens when the body destroys red blood cells much faster than it should. People with this condition often feel very tired, look pale, and have trouble breathing. He was first admitted to Oslo University Hospital because of fluid buildup caused by a medicine called cortisone that he had been taking.

The palace had already announced that the king would miss a planned visit to the Trondelag region of Norway, set for September 1 and 2. While in the hospital, several family members came to visit him on August 23, including Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and the king's sister. None of them made any public statement when they left. Because King Harald cannot carry out his duties, Crown Prince Haakon is acting as regent, meaning he is temporarily doing the king's job.

Harald became King of Norway in 1991 and has always said he would never give up the throne. He has argued that he made a lifelong promise to serve as king before the Norwegian Parliament, and he intends to keep that promise. He has had a pacemaker fitted to help his heart work properly and has had to cut back on his official schedule in recent years. Earlier this year, in February, he was also hospitalized while on a private trip in Tenerife, Spain, for an infection and dehydration.

This is a difficult time for Norway's royal family for other reasons as well. Crown Princess Mette-Marit has faced public scrutiny because of her past ties to Jeffrey Epstein, an American man convicted of serious crimes. Documents made public in January showed that she had regular contact with Epstein between 2011 and 2014, after he had already been convicted. Mette-Marit has also been dealing with a serious lung disease that required her to have a lung transplant in July.

Adding to the family's challenges, Mette-Marit's son Marius Borg Hoiby was sentenced in June to four years in prison for two rapes and 32 other charges, including violence against a former partner. He has appealed the verdict, meaning he is asking a higher court to review the decision. Despite all of these difficulties, the Norwegian royal family remains broadly supported by the public. Much of that support comes from King Harald's long history as a steady and unifying leader for the country.