Norway's King Harald V has been admitted to hospital at the age of 89 due to fluid retention that requires treatment. The monarch has a pre-existing rare blood condition called haemolytic anaemia, which has been treated with cortisone. He will be on sick leave for two weeks and Crown Prince Haakon will serve as regent in his place. This is the second hospitalization of King Harald V this year, following a previous stint due to an infection and dehydration in February.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-18,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
King Harald of Norway, 89 years old, has been taken to the National Hospital after being treated with cortisone for the blood disease hemolytic anemia. The royal palace stated that the king has been on sick leave for two weeks and that his son, Crown Prince Haakon, will serve as regent during this time. This is not the first time King Harald has been hospitalized; he was previously admitted to a hospital in Spain's Canary Islands in February with a skin infection and received a temporary pacemaker in Malaysia two years ago after falling ill on holiday. The king has been Norway's monarch since 1991 and has openly ruled out abdicating.
Written for “King Harald Hospitalized” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
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No political leaning scored for article 1117 · logged 2026-08-24
- Published
Norway's King Harald V has been admitted to hospital and is on sick leave for two weeks, the country's royal household announced on Monday.
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household → publish → Monday
The 89-year-old, who is one of Europe's longest-serving monarchs, has been treated in recent weeks with cortisone for rare blood condition haemolytic anaemia.
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who → serve → anaemia
It causes the number of red blood cells in the body to be reduced and leads to fatigue and shortness of breath.
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number → cause → breath
The palace said the monarch was admitted due to "fluid retention in the body that requires treatment in hospital".
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that → say → hospital
It added that Crown Prince Haakon, aged 53, will serve as regent while his father is on sick leave.
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father → add → leave
Norway's royal household said in April 2024 King Harald would make a "permanent reduction" to his public engagement "out of consideration for his age".
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Harald → say → age
The king ascended the Scandinavian country's throne in January 1991 and has openly ruled out abdicating.
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king → ascend → January
He was taken to hospital in February on the Spanish island of Tenerife while suffering from an infection and dehydration.
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He → take → infection
In 2024, the king was fitted with a pacemaker having fallen ill on holiday in Malaysia.
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king → fit → Malaysia
Queen Sonja was also admitted to hospital in May this year for examinations and observation due to heart problems, the palace said.
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palace → admit → problems
The king and queen's health problems come after a turbulent time for the Norwegian royals.
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problems → come → royals
In March, Crown Princess Mette-Marit - wife of Crown Prince Haakon - told national TV that she wishes she had never met late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
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she → tell → Epstein
The crown princess had exchanged hundreds of emails with the disgraced Epstein between 2011 and 2014, and stayed in his Florida house when he was not there.
"
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he → exchange → house
It is incredibly important for me to take responsibility for not checking his background more carefully," she said.
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she → take → background
Three months later in June, her son from a previous relationship, Marius Borg Høiby, was found guilty of two counts of rape and sentenced to four years in prison.
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son → find → prison
