Tag Archives: Norway royal health news

Norwegian Royals, Royal Family of Norway

King Harald V of Norway Hospitalized for Hemolytic Anemia, Palace Confirms

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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.

Norwegian Royals, Royal Family of Norway

Queen Sonja of Norway Hospitalized at Rikshospitalet in Oslo Due to Heart Fibrillation and Cardiac Complications, the Palace Confirms

Portrait courtesy of Det Kongelige Hoff

In Oslo, the Royal Household of Norway has announced that Her Majesty Queen Sonja of Norway has been admitted to Rikshospitalet due to heart fibrillation and related cardiac complications.

According to the Royal Household, Her Majesty the Queen will remain hospitalized for the next several days for examinations and observation.

The announcement follows a series of recent health-related absences involving Her Majesty the Queen. On Saturday, May 18th, Communications Adviser to the Royal Household, Mr. Simen Løvberg Sund, confirmed to the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet that Her Majesty the Queen had cancelled her official program after experiencing heart fibrillation.

Her Majesty the Queen had been scheduled to participate alongside His Majesty King Harald V of Norway and His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon of Norway in receiving the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, Narendra Modi, at the Royal Palace for an official audience and luncheon held in connection with the Prime Minister’s official visit to the Kingdom of Norway.

On January 16th, 2025, Her Majesty the Queen underwent pacemaker implantation surgery at Rikshospitalet following a previous episode of heart fibrillation experienced during a skiing trip. Prior to the procedure, the Queen had been briefly hospitalized in Lillehammer for observation before returning to Oslo for treatment intended to stabilize her heart rhythm.

In April 2025, Her Majesty the Queen was again admitted to hospital after experiencing shortness of breath while staying at the royal family’s residence in Sikkilsdalen. The Royal Household later described that hospitalization as precautionary in nature.

Norwegian Royals, Royal Family of Norway

The Royal Court of Norway Confirms Princess Astrid is Recovering from Pneumonia

Portrait courtesy of Ola Vatn/Det Kongelige Hoff

In Oslo, the Communications Director of the Royal Court of Norway, Ms. Guri Varpe, confirmed to the Norwegian public broadcaster Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK) this afternoon that Her Highness Princess Astrid, Mrs. Ferner, “has had pneumonia.”

The 94-year-old Princess, the eldest daughter of the late King Olav V and Crown Princess Märtha of Norway, is now “on the road to recovery,” according to Ms. Varpe.

Reports that the Princess had been hospitalized first emerged on Friday, when the Norwegian tabloid Se og Hør published photographs of Their Majesties King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway visiting her in hospital, prior to any official statement regarding her condition.

Meanwhile, Their Majesties King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway have begun their Easter holiday, travelling by train to Prinsehytta, their cabin in Sikkilsdalen.