Norway’s King Harald V has fallen ill while on vacation in Malaysia, according to a press release from the Royal Palace Tuesday afternoon. He’s suffering from an infection and been hospitalized, reportedly in the popular resort area of Langkawi.
Norway’s monarch turned 87 just last Wednesday, and the palace had stated he was celebrating his birthday privately without releasing more details. When his son, Crown Prince Haakon, was listed on the palace’s calendar of events as “Crown Prince Regent,” though, that meant King Harald was out of the country at least through March 6. The palace has since confirmed that he’s in Malaysia, that he’s receiving “good care from both Malaysian and Norwegian medical personnel” and that Queen Sonja, age 86, is traveling with him. The king has often had his own private doctor traveling with him, too, after a series of illnesses and hospitalizations in Norway.
The palace’s official program for members of the royal family indicates the king is due back in Norway from March 7, when the crown prince is once again referred to without the “regent” title for the weekly “audience” with the foreign minister. The king is not listed as attending, however, indicating that he won’t be back to work until March 8, when he’s once again scheduled to conduct the weekly Council of State with the government.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre told news bureau NTB that it was “sad to hear King Harald has been admitted to hospital in Malaysia.” He offered get-well wishes as did the leader of the opposition in Parliament and former prime minister, Erna Solberg. “I wish King Harald a speedy recovery and hope he comes safely home to Norway,” Solberg said.
NewsinEnglish.no staff
