King Harald V hospitalization | The Royal Correspondent

*Portrait courtesy of Det Kongelige Hoff*

The Royal Court of Norway announced that His Majesty King Harald V of Norway was admitted this afternoon to Rikshospitalet in Oslo following a medical examination.

The 89-year-old King has been receiving cortisone for hemolytic anemia in recent weeks. The Royal Court stated that the treatment has led to fluid accumulation in his body, which requires treatment in hospital.

King Harald will be on sick leave for two weeks. During this period, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon of Norway will serve as Regent.

The hospitalization comes after King Harald V was admitted to hospital while on a private holiday in Tenerife on February 23rd, 2026. At the time, the King was treated for an infection and dehydration at Hospital Universitario Hospiten Sur in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. His condition was described as good under the circumstances.

King Harald V has experienced several health-related hospitalizations in recent years. In February 2024, he was admitted to hospital while vacationing with Her Majesty Queen Sonja of Norway on the island of Langkawi, Malaysia, after developing a serious infection. During that hospitalization, he received a temporary pacemaker because of a low heart rate.

The King returned to Norway after being medically evacuated from Malaysia and has continued to carry out his constitutional duties, although his health has required periodic medical treatment and periods of sick leave.

*Portrait courtesy of Dusan Reljin/Det Kongelige Hoff*

In Oslo, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon of Norway visited the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, a state-funded but academically independent research body established in 1959 to strengthen Norway’s capacity for independent analysis of foreign and security policy.

The institute conducts research on international security, defense policy, development, energy, and global economics, and provides policy briefs and analysis to government ministries and parliamentary bodies. It also maintains partnerships with the European Union, the United Nations, and other international research institutions.

During the visit, the Crown Prince was asked about the health of his father, His Majesty King Harald V of Norway, following the King’s recent hospitalization in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, on the island of Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands.

“The king is doing better. He is responding well to the treatment. We are happy about that and grateful for all the care that has come these days. It seems he is on the road to recovery now,” the Crown Prince said.

The 89-year-old monarch was admitted to Hospital Universitario Hospiten Sur for treatment of an infection and dehydration. His personal physician, Bjørn Bendz, traveled to Tenerife to assist the medical team. The King was discharged on Thursday evening.

King Harald V and Queen Sonja remain in Tenerife. No date has been announced for their return to Norway.

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