Norwegians Lay Flowers at Palace as King Harald’s Condition Worsens
BBC News
Image source:
Rune Hellestad/Getty Images
By James Gregory and Paul Kirby, Europe digital editor
Published 27 August 2026, 09:59 BST
Updated 6 minutes ago
Norwegians have laid flowers in front of the palace in Oslo as the royal household announced King Harald V’s condition had become "extremely serious".
His wife, Queen Sonja, and his son, Crown Prince Haakon, cancelled royal engagements to be at his bedside at Oslo University Hospital alongside other family members. They left later in the day.
The 89-year-old king has been in hospital for 10 days receiving treatment for a rare blood condition, haemolytic anaemia. Late on Thursday afternoon, the palace issued an update stating his condition remained unchanged.
Having reigned since 1991, King Harald is Europe’s oldest head of state.
Image source:
EPA
Image caption:
Members of Norway’s royal family, including Crown Prince Haakon, gather at the hospital
Crown Prince Haakon, 53, who is set to succeed his father, has been serving as regent while the king is on leave.
King Harald has been treated recently with cortisone for haemolytic anaemia, a condition that causes a reduction in red blood cells, leading to fatigue and shortness of breath.
There was a somber mood in Oslo as Norwegians followed the comings and goings of the royal family. Crowds milled around in Palace Square throughout the day as Norwegian public TV scrapped its schedule to cover the story.
Although no one from the royal family spoke, the message was clear: this was an important moment to visit the king.
Among those visiting the hospital were Crown Princess Mette-Marit, who arrived with Haakon, along with her son Marius Borg Høiby—who is under house arrest during his appeal against a conviction for rape.
King Harald’s sister, Princess Astrid, also visited the hospital, accompanied by Haakon and Mette-Marit’s children, Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre cancelled a planned trip to Germany, where he was set to meet Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday.
"The whole nation is with us as we send warm thoughts to the king and the rest of the royal family," he stated.
The king has had multiple health issues in recent years, which have led him to scale back his royal duties. He was fitted with a pacemaker in 2024 after falling ill on holiday in Malaysia.
The Norwegian royal family has also faced challenges this year. In June, Crown Princess Mette-Marit received a lung transplant after being diagnosed with a rare form of pulmonary fibrosis in 2018.
Earlier in the year, documents were released revealing Mette-Marit’s contact with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. She later apologised to Norway’s king and queen for her friendship with Epstein, admitting to "poor judgement" and expressing regret for ever meeting him.
