Norway’s aging king discharged from hospital after infection

August 8, 2022 GMT

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Norway’s 85-year-old King Harald V has been discharged from a hospital in the Norwegian capital after receiving treatment for an undisclosed infection, the royal household in Oslo said Monday.

“The king is in good shape,” the palace said.

The aging monarch was admitted Aug. 4 to the Rikshospitalet division of Oslo’s University Hospital after being diagnosed with an infection that needed antibiotics to be administered intravenously.

In March, Harald tested positive for COVID-19, with mild symptoms. He went through a successful operation to replace a heart valve in October 2020 after being hospitalized with breathing difficulties.

Harald’s duties as Norway’s head of state are ceremonial, and he holds no political power. He ascended to the throne following the death of his father, King Olav, on Jan. 17, 1991. He is Norway’s first native-born king since the 14th century.