Norway's King Harald hospitalised amid a year of royal turmoil

King Harald V, 89, Europe's oldest head of state, is hospitalised with a bacterial bloodstream infection that worsened over the weekend of 22–23 August 2026. Crown Prince Haakon has stepped in as regent — temporarily assuming the monarch's duties. The illness deepens a difficult year: Crown Princess Mette-Marit's June lung transplant, her son's rape conviction, and her disclosed contact with Jeffrey Epstein.