King Harald of Norway Hospitalised: Palace Says Condition Stable, Crown Prince Steps In as Regent
The Norwegian Royal Palace announced on 23 August 2026 that King Harald's health had deteriorated over the weekend, sending the 89-year-old monarch back to Oslo University Hospital for treatment of a bacterial infection in his blood. He is responding to antibiotics, the palace said, and his condition is now stable. He will remain at the hospital — known in Norwegian as Rikshospitalet, the National Hospital in Oslo — on sick leave until further notice (Hello! Magazine).
King Harald, Europe's oldest reigning monarch, was first admitted last week after a routine check-up revealed haemolytic anaemia. That is a rare blood condition in which red blood cells are destroyed faster than the body can replace them, leading to fatigue and shortness of breath. It can be triggered by infections, autoimmune conditions, or certain drugs. The palace confirmed the King had been treated with cortisone for the anaemia in recent weeks; that treatment led to fluid accumulation in his body, which in turn required hospital care (Hello! Magazine).
With the King on sick leave for two weeks, Crown Prince Haakon has stepped in as regent — the constitutional arrangement by which the heir assumes the monarch's duties during illness or absence. The Royal House's official calendar now reads simply that His Majesty The King is on sick leave and that His Royal Highness The Crown Prince is Regent during the period. Haakon has served as regent on previous occasions when his father's health required it (Hello! Magazine).
A planned visit by the King to Trøndelag on 1 and 2 September has been cancelled. Queen Sonja is scheduled to carry out the engagement alone (Hello! Magazine).
The Royal Court's press release, titled "Oppdatering om Kongens helse" — Update on the King's health — was published on the court's official press releases page and remains the primary public statement on the King's condition (Kongehuset.no). The palace has not indicated when King Harald might be discharged. His sick leave runs for two weeks, and the statement said he would remain at the hospital until further notice.
For Norway, the Crown Prince's assumption of the regency is a familiar mechanism rather than an unprecedented one. King Harald has been hospitalised several times in recent years, including for heart surgery in 2020, and Haakon has deputised on each occasion. What is new is the combination of conditions being treated simultaneously — the underlying anaemia, the side effects of the cortisone, and now a bacterial infection in the blood — all in a patient who turned 89 in February.
