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King Harald hospitalised in Norway after return from Malaysia

King Harald of Norway returned home from Malaysia on Sunday after falling ill on holiday and spending several days in hospital, the royal palace said.

Published: 4 March 2024 09:58 CET
Pictured is a file photo of King Harald.
Norway's King Harald has been hospitalised in Oslo following his return to Norway. File photo of King Harald V of Norway . (Photo by JOHN SIBLEY / POOL / AFP)

Norway’s state broadcaster showed footage of his plane landing just before 11:00 pm (2200 GMT) in the capital, Oslo.

“His Majesty the King arrived in Norway this evening,” said a palace statement. The flight had gone well and the king was recovering, it added.

The oldest reigning monarch in Europe at 87 years old, Harald contracted an infection on a trip to the island of Langkawi and was admitted to hospital last Tuesday.

The palace said on Saturday that he had been fitted with a “temporary” pacemaker, which his personal physician said would make his return safer.

Sunday’s palace statement said the king would be hospitalised in Oslo for further checks and several days’ rest.

“His Majesty will be on sick leave for two weeks,” said an earlier palace statement.

A medical plane believed to be transporting the king had taken off from Langkawi on Sunday afternoon, after police escorted a convoy that included an ambulance from the hospital to the airport, an AFP journalist saw.

Harald needs crutches to get around and has suffered a series of health issues in recent years.

He caught a respiratory infection in January, days after dismissing speculation that he might abdicate, following the lead of distant cousin Queen Margrethe II in Denmark.

In his absence, Crown Prince Haakon, 50, has stepped in as regent.

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ROYALS

Norway’s King Harald to reduce his workload

Norway's 87-year-old King Harald, who returned to work on Monday after nearly two months' sick leave, will reduce his workload due to his advanced age, the palace said.

Published: 22 April 2024 13:29 CEST
Norway's King Harald to reduce his workload

Europe’s oldest reigning monarch, who is in fragile health, contracted an infection while on holiday on the Malaysian island of Langkawi in late February.

He was repatriated on a medical transport flight to Norway, where he was fitted with a permanent pacemaker to replace a temporary one he received in Malaysia.

“His majesty the King is happy to be back and resume his duties,” the palace said.

However, it said the monarch would “make adjustments to his schedule going forward, given his age”, citing “a permanent reduction in the number and scope of activities”.

Harald, who has been on the throne since 1991, needs crutches to get around and has suffered a series of health issues in recent years.

But he has dismissed speculation that he would follow the lead of his 83-year-old distant cousin Queen Margrethe II in Denmark and abdicate.

Crown Prince Haakon, 50, steps in as regent when the king is absent.

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