Photo Credit: Anette Ask / The Royal Court
In mid-July, HM King Harald V received Norway’s national men’s soccer team at the palace, congratulating the players on a job well done at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America. He was visibly moved when talking with national team coach Ståle Solbakken.
This year, King Harald celebrated his 89th birthday in February. He is Europe’s oldest heriditary reigning monarch and also Norway’s oldest monarch in 1,150 years.
Recently the king has experienced intermittent health issues. While he is under medical care, Crown Prince Haakon serves as regent, or acting monarch.
Currently the king is in his second week of sick leave. He is in very serious condition, and the royal family has been at his bedside over the past day. Norwegians are also holding vigil outside the palace in Oslo and have surrounded the grounds with flowers in a show of support.
King Harald is committed to serving his country and has never considered abdicating and “retiring” as his second cousin Danish queen Margrethe II did in 2024. He remarked, “I have taken an oath to the Storting (parliament) and it lasts for life.”
Sign the Sons of Norway get well card for King Harald V on our Facebook page.
