AFP Oslo
Oslo
Updated Saturday, March 2, 2024-15:12
King
Harald of Norway, 87 years old and hospitalized in Malaysia for an infection
, had to receive a pacemaker this Saturday due to his weak heartbeat, the Royal Palace announced.
"The decision was made this morning, and the placement was successful," the Norwegian Royal Palace said in a statement.
"The king is fine, but he needs rest. The intervention will make his return home safer," declared the monarch's personal doctor, Bjørn Bendz, quoted in the statement.
The king received the pacemaker at the Sultanah Maliha hospital on the island of Langkawi, in northwest Malaysia, where
he was admitted earlier this week for an infection
.
As they have been saying since Thursday, the monarch's services indicated that his return "will probably take place in the coming days."
Harald, the dean of reigning sovereigns in Europe, moves around with crutches and has had numerous health problems in recent years.
He suffered heart surgery and various respiratory disorders and infections.
On the throne for 33 years, he ruled out abdicating at the end of January in his first public intervention since the surprise departure from the Danish throne of his distant cousin, Queen Margaret II.
In his absence,
Crown Prince Haakon, 50, takes over as regency.