King Harald of Norway Hospitalized with Infection During Vacation in Malaysia

King Harald V of Norway is being treated in the hospital for an infection contracted on vacation in Malaysia. 

The 87-year-old monarch was admitted to hospital after falling ill during a private trip to the Southeast Asian country, the Norwegian royal household confirmed in a statement Tuesday.

Royal officials added that the King’s son Crown Prince Haakon will carry out his engagements at home following his hospital care. 

“His Majesty the King has fallen ill during his holiday stay in Malaysia, and is hospitalized there, with an infection. The king receives good care from both Malaysian and Norwegian medical personnel,” the royal household said in the statement.

Harald’s latest hospitalization follows a series of other health issues faced by the monarch in recent years. He was also previously hospitalized for infections last May and in December 2022.

On Wednesday, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre shared he was “sad” to hear the latest health update about Harald and wished him a “speedy recovery,” according to Norwegian news agency NTB, per ABC News. 

His trip to Malaysia comes a week after celebrating his 87th birthday. 

Despite his health troubles, the monarch gave reassurance last month of his intentions not to abdicate the throne. 

According to VG, the King addressed whether or not he planned to step down after being asked by the press during a visit to Faktisk.no, a nonprofit fact-checking website, in a follow-up question about Queen Margrethe of Denmark’s shocking abdication on Jan. 14. 

“No, I don’t really have it. I stand by what I have said all along. I have taken an oath to the Storting, and it lasts for life,” Harald responded at the time. 

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Harald acceded the throne in Jan. 1991 at the age of 53. In January 2022, he underwent a leg operation and two months later tested positive for COVID-19, before being hospitalized again in August of that year for another infection.

In 2003, Harald underwent surgery for bladder cancer and had another operation for heart valve problems in 2005.