OSLO, Norway (AP) — King Harald V of Norway is being discharged from a hospital in Spain’s Canary Islands after treatment for a skin infection that prompted his admission earlier this week, the royal palace said Thursday.
The palace said that Harald, who turned 89 last weekend, would be released from the hospital in Tenerife during the course of the day. It said that the king and Queen Sonja will continue their private vacation and no decision has been taken yet on when they will return to Norway.
The king was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday and the king’s personal doctor, Bjørn Bendz, traveled to Tenerife on Wednesday. Bendz said he was being treated for a skin infection on one of his legs.
Thursday’s statement said that Harald responded well and recovered quickly. It said that Bendz will remain in Tenerife for a few days to monitor developments.
Two years ago, the king fell ill during a private vacation with the queen in Malaysia and received a temporary pacemaker there. Harald returned aboard a medical airplane to Norway, where he was fitted with a permanent pacemaker.
Harald has been Norway’s monarch since 1991. His hospitalization came at a turbulent time for the Norwegian royal family.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit — married to the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haakon — has faced renewed scrutiny in recent weeks over her contacts with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Meanwhile, Mette-Marit’s son from a previous relationship is currently on trial in Oslo for multiple alleged offenses, including charges of rape.
