The family of Norway’s King Harald V has been seen visiting the ailing monarch in hospital as he battles a serious blood infection.
The 89-year-old was admitted to Oslo’s National Hospital last week but his condition “deteriorated” days later, the Royal House said.
Norway’s King Harald V is in hospital with a serious blood infection, with his son Crown Prince Haakon acting as regent indefinitely. Getty
In an update issued early on Tuesday morning AEST, the palace said there had been “no significant changes” in the king’s health, adding “the situation remains stable”.
King Harald has ruled Norway for 35 years and is Europe’s oldest-serving monarch.
He had been initially diagnosed with hemolytic anaemia, a disorder in which red blood cells are destroyed faster than they can be made. If left untreated, it can lead to serious health issues including heart failure.
When treatment at home led to complications, Harald was admitted to hospital. He was then diagnosed with a bacterial infection in his blood.
On Sunday, the monarch was given antibiotics after his “health deteriorated over the weekend”, the palace said.
The following day, his son and heir Crown Prince Haakon was seen at the wheel of his car, driving to hospital to see his father.
Crown Prince Haakon is acting as regent while his father remains in hospital, unable to perform his constitutional duties as sovereign and head of state.
The palace has not given a timeline for how long the crown prince will be regent, only saying Harald remains on “sick leave until further notice”.
Crown Prince Haakon was seen driving to the National Hospital in Oslo to visit the sick king, while other royals have also been at his bedside. AP
Later that day, Harald’s wife Queen Sonja, also 89, was seen visiting her husband for two hours. The crown prince and his wife Crown Princess Mette-Marit have also been spotted arriving at the hospital on multiple occasions since last Tuesday.
It is the second time this year that King Harald has been admitted to hospital and the latest episode in a long series of health issues.
In February, just four days after he turned 89, the king was hospitalised in Tenerife for an infection in his leg. The king was on holiday in Spain with his wife when he fell ill.
King Harald has suffered numerous health issues in the past few years, handing over many duties to his son the crown prince. Getty
In April 2024, King Harald reduced his workload due to his age and his declining health after he had surgery to install a pacemaker. However, in the past year or so he has carried out a steady list of official engagements.
Previously, the king has been treated in hospital for other inflections and in 2020 he had a new valve inserted into his heart. In 2005, Harald had surgery for bladder cancer.
However, the king’s latest bout of ill health feels different, and the Royal House of Norway has cancelled a number of events including a planned visit to several of the country’s municipalities in late October. Now, Queen Sonja will visit some of the areas alone.
“All of Norway is following and thinking about the king,” Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said.
Harald V came to the throne when his father King Olav died on January 17, 1991.
Uncertainty around the monarch’s health comes at a precarious time for Norway’s royal family, which has faced other serious health issues while weathering the controversial criminal trial of the crown prince’s stepson who, in June, was jailed for four years for rape and assault.
Crown princess returns to hospital after transplant
Crown Princess Mette-Marit was seen visiting her father-in-law in the National Hospital on Wednesday, which happened to be her 53rd birthday.
Mette-Marit received a lung transplant at the same hospital in June, eight years after being diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, a condition that causes scarring in the lungs and makes breathing difficult. Doctors said a transplant was her only option if she wanted to live.
The Royal House shared this previously unseen photo of the crown prince family to mark Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s birthday on August 19. The Royal House of Norway
She was discharged on July 14, and in a statement the crown princess said she was “deeply grateful”, thanking “everyone who chooses organ donation”.
“It has given me the gift of life, and words fall short when I try to describe how grateful and humble I am for this,” she said.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit has a long recovery ahead, which is expected to take at least a year. She is undergoing rehabilitation for the first six months to prevent “possible complications such as rejection and infections”, the head of the hospital’s pulmonary department, Are Holm, said.
Transplants often take one year before the condition transitions to a more stable phase, he added.
She is not expected to carry out any official duties during this time, the Royal House said.
Haakon and Mette-Marit were photographed at their private home one month after she was discharged from hospital following a life-saving lung transplant in June. Instagram/Norwegian Royal Household
The crown prince said of his wife’s health: “We know that there is a long road of recovery ahead of us, and that complications may arise, it feels very good to have come this far”.
Haakon had taken time away from his public-facing role to care for his wife at their private residence, Skaugum, but he’s now been thrust back into official duties as regent.
When the time comes, Crown Prince Haakon will accede his father as king with his wife Mette-Marit, who was born a commoner, to be crowned queen.
Pressure grows on former Australian uni student
Days before Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s lung transplant, the couple’s daughter Princess Ingrid Alexandra returned to Oslo after nearly a year of living in Australia.
The 22-year-old had been studying at Sydney University, beginning a three-year degree in August 2025, but chose to return to be with her mother and ageing grandparents.
The princess, who is second-in-line to Norway’s throne, is now continuing her degree on exchange at the University of Oslo. She started there on August 10, but her father previously said Ingrid Alexandra hoped to return to Australia one day where she can finish her studies, as originally planned.
Princess Ingrid Alexandra and her brother Prince Sverre Magnus represented Norway’s Royal House at the World Cup. Getty Images
However, the reality of the situation is that Princess Alexandra, and her younger brother Prince Sverre Magnus, 20, are needed to carry out official engagements.
Norway’s Royal House has very few so-called “working” royals compared with other monarchies across Europe and Scandinavia: just the king and queen, and the crown prince couple, perform official duties.
The palace has now conceded Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus are needed more than ever, confirming the royals will be called upon “to carry out selected official assignments for the Royal House when it fits in with their studies”.
King Harald V has been Norway’s monarch for 35 years and in February he turned 89. His heir is Crown Prince Haakon, followed by Princess Ingrid Alexandra. Ola Vatn/The Royal House of Norway
The brother and sister were prominent figures at the recent World Cup in the US, attending several games in support of Team Norway. Their time in the US marked Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus’ first joint engagements outside of Norway.
Marius Borg Høiby to remain in detention
The Royal House is also dealing with the aftermath of the criminal trial of Marius Borg Høiby, who was found guilty of rape and assault in June.
In early August, the 29-year-old appeared in court asking to be released from home detention where he’s been for the past month. He is staying at the family home, Skaugum, and is being tracked with an ankle monitor.
Marius Borg Høiby, pictured in January, will spend the immediate future under home detention at the royal family’s private estate after his latest bid for freedom was denied. Heiko Junge/NTB Scanpix via AP
During his brief court appearance, Høiby was told he must remain under house arrest for the next month.
In July Høiby was granted release to the crown prince family’s private estate one month after he was sentenced to four years for rape and assault.
Høiby, who is the eldest son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit from a relationship before she married Crown Prince Haakon, has no royal titles but grew up as part of the royal family.
Høiby, seen with the royal family here in 2022, has never held a royal title but grew up as part of the Royal House. Getty
He was convicted of rape and assault and sentenced to four years in prison but has since appealed the verdict.
Under Norway’s legal system, an appeal means the case will be retried again, in full, likely later this year or early next.
Royal’s daughter joins reality television show
King Harald’s eldest daughter Princess Märtha Louise is also continuing to make headlines despite not having a formal royal role since November 2022.
Recently, the princess − who remains fourth-in-line to the throne − confirmed plans to star in a new reality television show alongside her controversial American shaman husband, Durek Verrett.
Fans of Martha Louise and Shaman Verrett can pay $250 to attend an “intimate LoveShop” with the couple. @shamandurek
Märtha Louise and Shaman Durek will appear in Alternative Norway, a six-part reality series that will give a “warm, entertaining and intimate” insight into Norway’s esoteric scene, airing soon.
The couple previously made international headlines when they starred in the Netflix documentary Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story, which drew condemnation from the Royal House of Norway and their critics.
And now, one of Märtha Louise’s daughters is getting in on the reality television action.
Leah Isadora Behn, 21, is appearing on the latest season of Norway’s version of Dancing With The Stars, Skal vi Danse? (Shall We Dance?)
Princess Martha Louise’s daughter Leah Behn has joined Norway’s version of Dancing With The Stars. @leah.behn
Princess Märtha Louise commented on an Instagram post by her daughter when announcing the move, saying “So much fun!!” while Shaman Durek wrote, “So proud of you angel”.
Leah is Märtha Louise’s second daughter from her first marriage to the late Ari Behn, who died by suicide on Christmas Day in 2019.
She and her two sisters, Maud, 23, and Emma, 17, do not have royal titles but are in the line of succession.
Leah has appeared on television before, starring in Norway’s adaptation of the hit show The Traitors in June last year.
She is also known as an influencer on social media and has gained popularity through beauty-inspired videos on Instagram. In 2024, she did her mother’s makeup when Märtha Louise married Shaman Durek.
Next month, Märtha Louise and Shaman Durek will appear at a health and wellbeing festival in the UK, with tickets costing $250 per day.
The couple married in Geiranger in August 2024. Getty
Fans have a chance to meet the couple during a “heartfelt and transformative experience” described as an “intimate, in-person LoveShop”.
In 2022, Märtha Louise agreed to stop using her royal title for her commercial endeavours after a long-running disagreement with the palace, after previously stating in 2019 that the word “princess” would not be used by her for business reasons.