Norway's King Harald's Health Takes Sharp Turn for the Worse as Entire Family Rushes to Hospital

The health of Norway's King Harald V, who has held the ceremonial post of head of state since 1991, has sharply deteriorated. This is evident from the fact that his son, Crown Prince Haakon, and his wife, Queen Sonja, cancelled all their scheduled engagements and rushed to the hospital in Oslo, where the monarch is being treated, Reuters reports.

Norway's parliamentary speaker, Masud Gharahkhani, has also cut short a state visit to Iceland and is returning home.

The Prime Minister's Response

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre commented on the king's worsening condition on Thursday. "The whole nation joins us in sending warm thoughts to the King and the rest of the Royal Family," he said.

Long-Standing Health Concerns

Before his hospitalisation in August, the health of Europe's longest-reigning monarch had already been a serious topic of discussion two years earlier. At that time, Harald V decided to cut back on the number of official engagements he took part in. However, he ruled out stepping down due to his advanced age, saying that a royal oath is taken for life.

Source: novinky.cz