Europe's Oldest Monarch, 89-Year-Old King of Norway, Hospitalized with Hemolytic Anemia

Norway's King Harald V, Europe's oldest reigning monarch at 89 years old, was hospitalized on the 17th local time, the royal palace announced.

King Harald V is suffering from hemolytic anemia, a condition in which red blood cells are destroyed abnormally, causing fatigue, shortness of breath, and pale skin.

The Norwegian royal palace added that 53-year-old Crown Prince Haakon will serve as regent during the King's two-week medical leave.

King Harald V was previously hospitalized at a local hospital while vacationing in Langkawi, Malaysia, in 2024 to undergo pacemaker implantation surgery.

In February of this year, while vacationing in Spain's Canary Islands, he was hospitalized again locally due to a skin infection and dehydration.

Prior to that, in 2003, he was diagnosed with bladder cancer and underwent surgery, prompting Crown Prince Haakon to take over his duties for four months.

He has continued to face health issues, including another surgery in 2005 for aortic stenosis, which reportedly led him to quit smoking and significantly reduce his workload.

Born in February 1937, King Harald V has been on the throne for 36 years since 1991.

Despite struggling with health problems for a long time, he has maintained his stance that he will not abdicate and hand over the throne to Crown Prince Haakon, citing a "lifetime vow" he made to parliament.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.