Norway’s King Harald V receives permanent pacemaker

By Leila Nezirevic

LONDON (AA) - Norway’s King Harald V received a permanent pacemaker Tuesday and he will remain in hospital for a few days, according to the palace.

The procedure came after the 87-year-old was transferred to an Oslo hospital on a medical transport flight earlier this month after he was hospitalized due to an infection while on vacation in Malaysia with Queen Sonja.

“The operation was successful, and the King is doing well,” said the palace.

Europe’s oldest ruling monarch has suffered from ill health in recent years, raising concerns.

The king, who has been using crutches to get around for some time, has undergone heart surgery and respiratory problems, according to media reports.

The palace said in January he was on sick leave until Feb. 2 because of a respiratory infection. In December, he was admitted to a hospital with an infection.

Herald has no abdication plans despite speculation he might follow the footsteps of his second cousin, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, who at 83 abdicated Jan. 24, exactly 52 years after coming to the throne.

Harald, who has been Norway's ceremonial head of state since 1991, insisted on Jan. 23 that his oath to serve Norway is for life, according to Norwegian news agency, NTB.

“I maintain what I have said all the time. It lasts for life,” he said.

Each time the king was reported ill, 50-year-old Crown Prince Haakon has presided in his father's absence, including at the weekly meeting with the prime minister and the government.

The Norwegian monarchy dates back more than 1,000 years, however, modern Norway as an independent nation is relatively young.

Herald is regarded as the first Norwegian king in more than half a millennium after the union of Norway and Sweden was dissolved in 1905.