Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Via AP news wire

Norway's 86-year-old king tests positive for COVID-19 and has mild symptoms

Frederik Ringnes / NTB

Norway’s 86-year-old King Harald V, who has been in frail health in the past few years, has tested positive for the coronavirus and has mild symptoms, royal officials said on Sunday.

“His Majesty the King has been diagnosed with corona and is on sick leave until he is symptom-free. The king has cold symptoms and stays at home,” the royal household said in a brief statement.

The Norwegian monarch had also tested positive in March 2022 with mild symptoms. Officials have earlier said Harald had received three COVID-19 vaccine shots but it's not known whether he had received booster shots.

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre wished the king “a speedy recovery” in a comment to the Norwegian news agency NTB, which said Harald's son and heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haakon, would take over his duties for now.

The aging monarch, who has been seen using crutches in various occasions, has been hospitalized several times in recent years.

In August 2022, he spent three days with a fever at a hospital, and in December the same year, he was again admitted for an infection that required intravenous antibiotics.

In October 2020, the king underwent surgery to replace a heart valve after being hospitalized with breathing difficulties.

Despite health problems, he has been attending major public events in Norway and its Nordic neighbors. In September, Harald attended celebrations in Stockholm marking the 50th anniversary of Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf’s accession to the throne.

In May, the monarch, who was released from a hospital just days earlier, appeared on the royal castle’s balcony in Oslo to salute the thousands of children marching by as the country celebrated its Constitution Day.

The king is Norway’s head of state but holds no political power, so his duties are ceremonial. Harald ascended to the throne following the death of his father, King Olav, in 1991.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.