Pacemaker for King Harald

Norway’s Harald V, who recently celebrated his 87th birthday, has had a temporary pacemaker fitted while holidaying in Malaysia.

“The pacemaker was implanted owing to a low heart rate,” a statement from the royal household announced on March 2. “The decision was made earlier today, and the procedure was successful.”

The king was doing well after he was hospitalised in late February after contracting an infection shortly after he arrived on Langkawi island.

At the time, the royal household announced that King Harald’s personal physician was with him in Langkawi, adding, “His Majesty is well taken care of at the hospital and is receiving good treatment.”

The latest procedure would make the king’s eventual journey back to Norway safer, the March 2 statement said.

Now Europe’s oldest ruling monarch, Harald walks with crutches and has been affected by a series of ailments as he has aged, including successful cancer treatment in 2002, followed by heart surgery and  respiratory problems.

In his father’s absence, Crown Prince Haakon, 50, is acting as regent.