The Norwegian royal family has been through its fair share of health emergencies and headline-making legal worries over the past year, and on Monday, April 21, the royal house of Norway announced that Queen Sonja was rushed to an Oslo hospital. The 87-year-old queen was spending time with husband King Harald at the royal chalet in Sikkilsalen, Norway, over the holiday when she experienced “shortness of breath” that caused her to be air lifted to Oslo for observation.
The Norwegian royal family released a statement on Monday night stating, “Her Majesty the Queen was admitted to the National Hospital this evening for examinations due to shortness of breath. The Queen was transported by air ambulance from the Prince’s Cabin in Sikkilsdalen, where the Royal Couple spent the Easter holiday.”
On April 22, the family issued an update stating that Queen Sonja was discharged from the hospital. “Investigations show that the situation has normalized,” the statement read. “The Queen is on sick leave for the rest of the week.”
King Harald and Queen Sonja are seen in December 2024.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
The king and queen were joined by Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Norway’s future queen, in May 2024.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
This isn’t the first health scare Queen Sonja has experienced this year. In January, Queen Sonja was hospitalized “after experiencing an episode linked to her existing heart condition, atrial fibrillation, while on a ski trip,” according to Hello! magazine. She had a pacemaker fitted on Jan. 16 during a procedure at Rikshospitalet in Oslo.
King Harald, who at 88, is the oldest reigning monarch in Europe, has also suffered from recent health problems. The Norwegian king was hospitalized with an infection during a vacation to Malaysia last year, forcing his son, Crown Prince Haakon, to act as regent. King Harald was later fitted with a pacemaker.
Queen Sonja’s hospitalization follows some concerning news regarding Crown Princess Haakon’s wife, Crown Princess Mette-Marit. In March, the Norwegian royal household announced that the future queen’s pulmonary fibrosis had worsened and she now faces “daily symptoms and ailments.”
Mette-Marit, 50, was diagnosed with the serious lung disease in 2018, and suffers from increased symptoms that are impacting her ability to carry out royal duties. “This means that changes to her official schedule may occur more frequently and at shorter notice than we are used to,” a statement read.