Norway's King Harald hospitalised as royal household weathers multiple crises

King Harald V, 89, Europe's oldest head of state, remains hospitalised with a bacterial bloodstream infection after his condition worsened over the weekend of 22–23 August 2026. Crown Prince Haakon is serving as regent. The illness compounds a torrid year: Crown Princess Mette-Marit's June lung transplant, her son's rape conviction, and her revealed contact with Jeffrey Epstein.