Norway’s King Harald, 87, is leaving for his return trip from Malaysia on Sunday.
King Harald’s health failed during the holiday. PDO
Norway’s Hovi told the king on Saturday evening Harald’s, 87, who had surgery during his Malaysian holiday. He was treated for an infection and had a temporary pacemaker placed. The monarch received treatment from both local and Norwegian doctors. The king will be flown home from the island of Langkawi on Sunday, says a Swedish newspaper Expressen.
Harald’s journey home is on a Boeing 737 passenger plane, which has been converted into a “flying hospital” according to Expressen. The well-equipped aircraft has the necessary medical equipment and hospital beds. The plane has previously been used by the Norwegian army and has been used to transport Ukrainian soldiers to European hospitals, says a Norwegian newspaper. Dagbladet.
After getting home, King Harald will be on sick leave for two weeks. During that time, he is replaced by the crown prince Haakon.
King Harald’s health has been failing recently. Before his vacation, Harald was on sick leave in January due to a respiratory infection. At that time, the Norwegian Court announced that Harald was in bad health. In December, he was hospitalized with a respiratory infection. In August, the king had to be hospitalized due to a very high fever. In addition, Harald has undergone several heart surgeries and needs crutches to move.
In addition to his advanced age, the king’s increased health concerns sparked talk that Harald might abdicate, like the Queen of Denmark Margaret. However, Harald made it clear at the end of January that he was not going to give up the crown.