SHARE
COPY LINK

KING HARALD

Norway’s King Harald leaves hospital after heart surgery

King Harald has been discharged from Rikshospitalet in Oslo after undergoing a heart operation on Friday.

Norway’s King Harald leaves hospital after heart surgery
A photo reportedly of King Harald on the way to hospital last week. Photo: AFP

The Norwegian palace confirmed to news wire NTB that the king was to leave hospital following the procedure three days ago.

“The king is in good form and will travel home from Rikshospitalet today,” the king’s doctor, consultant Bjørn Bendz, said in the statement.

The palace had confirmed during the weekend that the king was well after the procedure to fix an artificial valve he received during a previous operation in 2005.

Artificial valves of the type the king received have a life span of 10-15 years. As such, it is not uncommon for them to be replaced.

“His majesty the king is well after yesterday’s intervention. The king has been for a short stroll, and his condition is good,” Bendz said in a statement on Saturday.

Last month, the king spent a short time in hospital due to respiratory problems unrelated to Covid-19.

He is currently on indefinite sick leave, with his son Crown Prince Haakon deputising the king’s royal duties.

READ ALSO: Norwegian king's 1967 Cadillac goes on sale online

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

WORKING IN SWEDEN

Swedish Royal Guards scrap ceremonial helmets over safety concerns

The King’s mounted Royal Guards will no longer be able to wear their iconic ceremonial helmets on parades, after the Swedish Work Environment Authority warned of serious safety concerns.

Swedish Royal Guards scrap ceremonial helmets over safety concerns

“We take the safety of our employees extremely seriously and we are going to address this immediately,” colonel Stefan Nacksten, head of the Royal Guards, wrote in a statement. 

Employed by the Armed Forces, the Royal Guards are the King’s cavalry and infantry units and are a well-known sight at ceremonies in Sweden, including at the changing of the guard at the Royal Palace of Stockholm every day in summer – a popular spectacle for Stockholmers and tourists alike.

The helmets will no longer be used by Royal Guards on horseback from July 7th, as they do not conform to safety standards for riding helmets, although guards parading on foot will still be permitted to wear them.

They are part of the 1895 parade uniforms and were last modified in 2000. The Armed Forces will now create an entirely new helmet which looks the part, but is also safe for riding.

“We’re working on finding an alternative solution as quickly as possible which meets safety requirements and can also be used during parades,” Nacksten said.

“We’ve been working long-term with this issue but now that it has been assessed [by the Swedish Work Environment Authority] we need to take measures immediately,” he added.

“This is good, and now we’re working to make sure something good comes out of this and we can get a safe riding helmet for parades in place as soon as possible.”

SHOW COMMENTS