King Harald V of Norway has been hospitalised in Malaysia, the palace has confirmed.
The statement reads:
His Majesty the King has fallen ill during his holiday in Malaysia and is hospitalised there with an infection. The King is receiving good follow-up care from both Malaysian and Norwegian medical personnel.
This comes weeks after it was announced on 31 January that King Harald was on “sick leave” until 2 February due to a respiratory infection.
He was hospitalised for an infection in May and December last year, and treated for a fever in August. He had heart valve replacement surgery in October 2020 and underwent surgery for bladder cancer in 2003.
Harald’s son, Crown Prince Håkon, acted as regent while his father was unable to fulfil his duties.
Despite declining health in recent years, King Harald has ruled out the possibility of abdicating as Queen Margrethe of Denmark. During a visit to the non-profit fact-checking website Faktisk.np, the monarch said, referring to a promise he made to the Norwegian parliament when he came to the throne in 1991:
I stand by what I have said all along. I have taken an oath to the Storting, [parliament] and it lasts for life.
He marked the 33rd year of his reign on 17 January.
