1-3-2024 (KUALA LUMPUR) A medical evacuation plane from Scandinavian Airlines touched down on Friday, March 1, in Pulau Langkawi, where Europe’s oldest monarch, King Harald V of Norway, is currently undergoing treatment for an undisclosed infection.
The 87-year-old king was hospitalized earlier this week after falling ill during a vacation, as revealed by the royal palace in Oslo on Tuesday. Despite the lack of specific details regarding his illness, Crown Prince Haakon expressed optimism about his father’s improving condition, stating that King Harald needed rest before returning home.
Sources from Norwegian TV2 reported that a Scandinavian aircraft, bearing the tail number LN-RPJ, departed from Oslo Airport on Thursday, February 29. Identified as a Boeing 737-700, this airline, previously employed for medical evacuations, safely landed in Langkawi on Friday.
The Norwegian Defence Force remained tight-lipped about whether the plane’s mission was to pick up King Harald, but Norwegian TV2 suggested that the same aircraft had been utilized last summer for medical evacuations from Ukraine. The royal palace in Oslo mentioned on Thursday that there was a plan for the king to return home by plane in the coming days, without specifying a date.
According to the Malaysian national news agency Bernama, King Harald is currently receiving treatment at Sultanah Maliha Hospital in Langkawi, staying in the hospital’s royal suite. When contacted, the hospital declined to provide any comments to The Associated Press. Crown Prince Haakon assured reporters on Wednesday that the king was in good spirits.
“It is clear that his age means that it is good to treat this properly. They are very good at the hospital,” Haakon stated, adding, “We don’t know when he will come home. We will have to decide on that later.”
No official decision has been made regarding King Harald’s return home, as per the palace’s statement. Earlier, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre expressed concern and emphasized the importance of contributing to the king’s swift return and recovery.
“We get worried when our king gets ill and is admitted to the hospital, whether in Norway or abroad. We should do what we can to contribute to getting the king home as quickly as possible and as healthy as possible,” Prime Minister Støre conveyed to Norwegian broadcaster NRK.
Two days before celebrating his 87th birthday last week, the Norwegian news agency NTB reported that King Harald and Queen Sonja were embarking on a private trip abroad. However, the destination and dates were not disclosed. Media in Norway have since speculated that the royal couple traveled to Malaysia to mark the king’s birthday.
Notably, King Harald has undertaken private trips on previous birthdays, including a visit to South Africa for his 80th birthday and a celebration in Mauritius for his 85th, as reported by Norwegian media. The monarch, who has been seen using crutches in recent years, has faced multiple health challenges in recent months, including a respiratory infection in January, hospitalization for an infection in December, and a fever-related admission in August.
