After heart surgery:
King Harald V was able to leave the hospital
King Harald of Norway was able to leave the hospital.
© imago images/All Over Press Finland
Good news from the Norwegian royal family: King Harald V has been released from the hospital after his heart operation.
After worrying weeks, King Harald V of Norway (87) was able to leave the hospital. The Norwegian Royal Palace announced this on Thursday, March 14th. “His Majesty the King was released from Rikshospitalet today and is in good condition,” says the official announcement. The 87-year-old monarch had a permanent pacemaker implanted just two days ago.
Crown Prince Haakon takes on royal duties
After his release from the hospital, King Harald will remain on sick leave until April 8 “to rest and recover,” the palace press release continued. His son, Crown Prince Haakon (50), will “perform the king’s constitutional duties” during this period and represent his sick father.
At the end of February, Norway was shocked by the news that King Harald had to be admitted to a local hospital while on vacation in Malaysia – just days after the monarch’s 87th birthday. The reason was an infection. But at the Sultanah Maliha Hospital in Langkawi, Harald was also fitted with a temporary pacemaker “due to a low heart rate”, as the Norwegian royal family announced on March 2nd.
A few days later, Harald was able to travel back to his home country. The king was then implanted with a permanent pacemaker at the Rikshospitalet in Oslo on March 12th. Harald himself had previously addressed his people and in a message spoke of a “difficult situation” in which he had found himself. He also thanked everyone for the “care, help and support in connection with the illness” during his vacation in Malaysia.