Get well wishes were pouring in for Norway’s 89-year-old King Harald V on Monday, after the Royal Palace disclosed Sunday evening that his health had worsened during the weekend. The monarch has been in and out of the hospital in recent years, and now he’s being treated for anemia and another infection, this time in his blood.
King Harald was hospitalized again a week ago, after receiving cortisone treatment for hemolistic anemia. That led to trouble with an accumulation of body fluids that required hospital treatment, and the palace announced he would remain in Norway’s national hospital (Rikshospitalet) until his condition improved.
On Sunday evening, the palace reported that his condition had worsened and that he was receiving antibiotics to fight “bacteria in the blood.” He reportedly was responding to the treatment and the situation, according to the palace, had stabilized.
That prompted media including Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) to offer online means of sending greetings to the king. The response was swift, with well over a thousand get-well messages accumulating on NRK’s website by mid-afternoon and reflecting just how important King Harald is to many Norwegians.
“Dear King Harald!” wrote Janet Kristine and Johan Fredrik Garmann. “We wish you all the best … and look forward to you getting back to your everyday life. You are the unifying person Norway needs in the times we’re living in.”
“You are unifying, inclusive and outstanding in your work,” added another well-wisher, Sofie Stene. “You are the person holding the people and the country together, and must get well again soon.”
Others also wrote about how much the king means to them: “Your Majesty, you are Alt For Norge (the royal motto that pledges the monarch’s goal to serve all of the country). Norway is Alt For Dem (Everything for you). Long live the king,” wrote Benjamin Hadland.
Several wrote that they were disappointed King Harald wouldn’t be able to take part next month in a visit to one of the last and very few municipalities in Norway that he hadn’t visited before. Terje Bøgeberg noted, however, that Queen Sonja had visited Skaun in Trøndelag a few years ago, “and she managed very well.”
Another Norwegian, Greta Malmo, wrote on NRK’s messaging service that she wished the best “for our king,” noting that he is “always wise and thoughtful” and has “a very good sense of humour.” Roger Bull Haahammer admitted he was no big fan of the monarchy in Norway, “but you have done a brilliant job as king. I wish you a speedy recovery with all of my heart!”
Others like Tormod Leithe also wished well for “our wise king,” while Tove-Mette Solvik wished “heaps of speedy recovery wishes” to “the finest and warmest king on the entire planet. We are lucky to have you.”
All the good wishes and concern for King Harald come after the past few years of crisis, controversy and scandal around other members of the Norwegian royal family. King Harald’s daughter Princess Martha Louise, his daughter-in-law Crown Princess Mette-Marit and her troublesome son Marius Borg Høiby have taken a toll on the monarchy, with its public approval ratings falling from around 80 percent to just over 60 percent in recent months. King Harald himself, however, remains popular and respected as does Queen Sonja. Their son, Crown Prince Haakon, is currently serving as regent during the king’s latest illness and has been under enormous pressure to keep calm and carry on.
Medical experts were warning on Monday that the elderly often have complicated health problems. Treatment for some can create new, and underlying weaknesses can quickly add to the complexity of their overall health status. “I’m worried, like most others are as well, I think,” Dr Anette Hylen Ranhoff, a professor and senior research at Norway’s public health institute, told NRK on Monday. “This is our dear king.”
Ranhoff thinks it’s “good news,” though, that King Harald was responding to treatment and that his condition was described as “stable” on Monday. Both Queen Sonja and Crown Prince Haakon visited King Harald at the national hospital in Oslo on Monday afternoon.
NewsinEnglish.no/Nina Berglund
