The health of Norway's King Harald V has worsened as he continues his hospital stay to receive antibiotics for a bacterial infection in his bloodstream. At 89 years old, the monarch, who ascended to the throne in 1991, has responded to treatment but will remain at Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, on leave from royal duties until further notice. Admitted to hospital and placed on sick leave a week ago, his son, Crown Prince Haakon, is serving as regent during this period. King Harald has been undergoing recent treatments with cortisone for haemolytic anaemia, which reduces the number of red blood cells in the body, causing fatigue and shortness of breath. In 2024, the royal household announced that King Harald would reduce his public engagements due to his age. That year, he was fitted with a pacemaker after falling ill on holiday in Malaysia. The Norwegian royal family has faced challenges in 2026, with Crown Prince Haakon's wife, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, undergoing a lung transplant in June following her diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis in 2018. The transplant came two days after Marius Borg Høiby, Mette-Marit's son, was sentenced to four years in prison for two counts of rape. Additionally, documents revealing Mette-Marit's frequent contact with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were released earlier in the year, leading to an apology from Mette-Marit to Norway's king and queen for her three-year friendship with Epstein and admitting to poor judgement.