Crown Prince Haakon is in charge of the king’s duties during the king’s sick leave.
King of Norway Harald has returned to Norway after falling ill last week while on holiday in Malaysia. The 87-year-old king was hospitalized with an infection and was fitted with a temporary pacemaker on Saturday.
The plane carrying the king landed in Oslo at midnight, says the country’s public broadcasting company NRK.
The King’s Court told with a noticethat the transport went well and the king is recovering. Harald is scheduled to spend a few days in the hospital.
The king is on sick leave for the next two weeks, and his son is the crown prince Haakon responsible for his duties.
The king returned in an SAS evacuation plane. The Norwegian news agency NTB reports based on the Prime Minister’s statement that the king’s trip home cost about two million Norwegian kroner, or about 175,000 euros. The amount is taken from the defense budget.
Harald is the oldest reigning monarch in Europe. His health has deteriorated in recent years and he has been hospitalized several times.
Harald has repeated several times that he has no intention of abdicating his crown. In neighboring Denmark, his little cousin Margaret stepped aside earlier this year.
The Norwegian king’s duties are largely ceremonial and he has no political power. Harald became king in 1991 when his father died.
Harald and his wife the queen Sonja had traveled to Malaysia to celebrate the king’s 87th birthday.
Source: AP