Norwegian King Harald's health 'deteriorated' over the weekend, palace says

King Harald of Norway's health has taken a turn for the worse over the weekend, according to the royal palace. The 89-year-old monarch has been on sick leave for several weeks and was admitted to the National Hospital a week ago. He is being treated for a bacterial blood infection and has responded to antibiotics, with his condition now stable.

The king has been suffering from haemolytic anaemia, a condition that causes an abnormally rapid destruction of red blood cells, leading to fatigue, paleness, and shortness of breath, as reported by Euronews. He has also been treated with cortisone, which led to fluid accumulation in the body requiring hospital treatment.

Crown Prince Haakon has been serving as regent in his father's absence. King Harald has been monarch since 1991 and has been in and out of hospital several times in recent years, according to the Associated Press.

Brief written by urgent.news from Euronews, Associated Press, Winnipeg Free Press — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.