Norway's King Harald in 'very serious' condition, family at his bedside

OSLO: Norway’s King Harald was in a “very serious” condition in hospital on Thursday, the royal court said, and family members gathered at his bedside.

Hundreds of people gathered outside the Royal Palace in central Oslo and many lay flowers as they awaited further news of the 89-year-old king’s health.

Europe’s oldest living monarch and Norway’s ceremonial head of state since 1991, Harald was taken to hospital on August 17. The palace said he was being treated for a bacterial infection in his blood.

Crown Prince Haakon and Harald’s wife, Queen Sonja, both cancelled all planned events, the palace said in a statement.

Members of Harald’s family, including the crown prince and the queen, were seen by reporters arriving at the Oslo University Hospital where the king is being treated.

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere cancelled a trip to Germany because of the king’s condition.

“The whole nation is with us as we send warm thoughts to the king and the rest of the royal family,” he said in a statement.

The speaker of Norway’s parliament, Masud Gharahkhani, broke off an official visit to Iceland and was heading back to Norway. The Committee of Foreign Relations and Defence said its members would return home from South Korea.

The Lutheran Church of Norway’s College of Bishops, in Rome for a rare visit with the pope, announced it would return home as soon as possible, according to media reports.

In 2024, the king said he would reduce the number of official activities in which he takes part out of consideration for his age, but he ruled out abdication, saying his oath as king was for life.