King Harald of Norway in ‘extremely serious condition’ as Royal Family gather at hospital

King Harald of Norway in 'extremely serious condition' as Royal Family gather at hospital Just days after the Norwegian Royal Family confirmed that the King's health had rapidly deteriorated, his family have gathered at his bedside after the Palace issued a new statement.

Key points

• The Prince and Princess' children Prince Sverre Magnus and Princess Ingrid Alexandra arrived shortly after, along with the King's sister Princess Astrid.
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• As the Royal Family have gathered at his bedside in hospital, king Harald of Norway is in an 'extremely serious condition' according to the Norwegian Palace.
• The King, 89, who is Europe's oldest reigning monarch, was taken to the National Hospital in Oslo last week with a rare condition called haemolytic anaemia.
• King Harald, who has been on the throne since 1991, has suffered a series of health problems previously.

For context, the King, 89, who is Europe's oldest reigning monarch, was taken to the National Hospital in Oslo last week with a rare condition called haemolytic anaemia. It is when the immune system attacks red blood cells.

On Sunday, the Palace issued an urgent statement explaining his condition was serious but that he was responding to treatment, adding that he would remain in hospital while his son and heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haakon, stepped in as regent.

As their website states: "The King's health condition is extremely serious.", this morning, the Norwegian Royal Family issued another statement saying his condition has deteriorated.

Since of the announcement, the King's wife Queen Sonja and Crown Prince Haakon have cancelled all their upcoming engagements, and there are no scheduled events for any of the royals listed online. Both the president and the bishop of Norway have additionally cancelled today's engagements.

Shortly after the Palace issued their update on the King's health, Queen Sonja, Prince Haakon and his wife Crown Princess Mette-Marit were seen arriving at Rikshospitalet, where the King has been hospitalised for 10 days. The Prince and Princess' children Prince Sverre Magnus and Princess Ingrid Alexandra arrived shortly after, along with the King's sister Princess Astrid.

Yngve Kvistad, royal correspondent for Norway's most popular news outlet VG remarked of the King's health: "They are probable facing a situation where the illness has taken such a negative turn that it is by no means certain the King will survive. Of course, we don't know for sure, but the situation is becoming critical."

In practice, the Palace confirmed the King's condition within the last few weeks, saying he had "been treated with cortisone for the blood disease haemolytic anaemia. This has led to fluid accumulation in the body that requires treatment in hospital."

In practice, the disorder typically results in fatigue and breathlessness. The sole cause of the condition is not always obvious, but it can be caused by infections, other autoimmune conditions or certain drugs.

King Harald, who has been on the throne since 1991, has suffered a series of health problems previously. In April 2024, Norway's royal household remarked that the King would produce a 'permanent reduction' to his public engagements 'out of consideration for his age'.

That year, the king had been fitted with a pacemaker after falling ill on holiday in Malaysia. King Harald was additionally taken to hospital while on holiday in Tenerife in February after a health problem.

In short, king Harald of Norway in 'extremely serious condition' as Royal Family gather is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.