Norwegian palace reports decline in King’s health

The health of Norway’s King Harald, 89, who has been hospitalized following complications related to a blood disorder, deteriorated over the weekend, the Norwegian Royal Palace announced on Sunday, according to AFP.

Europe’s oldest monarch suffers from hemolytic anemia, a blood disorder in which red blood cells are destroyed abnormally quickly. Symptoms can include fatigue, paleness and breathing difficulties. He has been hospitalized at Oslo University Hospital for nearly a week, CE Report quotes AGERPRES.

“His Majesty the King’s health condition deteriorated over the course of the weekend,” the Royal Palace said in a statement. “The King is receiving antibiotics to treat a bacterial infection in the blood and has responded well to the treatment.”

He was admitted to hospital last Monday due to fluid retention caused by cortisone treatment, the palace said at the time. King Harald was also placed on two weeks of medical leave, during which Crown Prince Haakon is serving as regent.

Harald, who became King of Norway in 1991, has faced a series of health problems in recent years. He has reduced his official duties and has required the implantation of a pacemaker.

Despite his health problems, King Harald has repeatedly ruled out abdication, citing the lifelong oath he took before parliament.

In February, while staying in Spain with his wife, Queen Sonja, Harald was hospitalized in Tenerife with an infection and dehydration.

Queen Sonja, also 89, was briefly hospitalized in May and suffers from fibrillation and heart failure.

In addition to the royal couple’s health issues, the Norwegian monarchy has faced other difficulties in recent months, particularly involving Crown Princess Mette-Marit, the wife of Crown Prince Haakon.

Documents released in the United States at the end of January revealed that she had maintained frequent and sometimes intimate correspondence with convicted American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein between 2011 and 2014.

The Crown Princess has also faced controversy surrounding the legal troubles of her son, Marius Borg, from a previous relationship. The 29-year-old 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.

Mette-Marit, 52, who suffers from an irreversible lung disease, underwent a lung transplant in July.

Photo: royalcourt.no