Palace issues statement as royal rushed to hospital after skipping key Palace event
The Princess is recovering from pneumonia.
Princess Astrid of Norway has been taken to hospital to be treated for pnemonia, the Palace said in a statement. The announcement comes after the 94-year-old, who is the sister of King Harold, pulled out of attending key engagements during last week's state visit from the Belgian royal family.
At the time, palace communications director Guri Varpe said that the princess needed "rest and convalescence" following her illness. But a new statement issued by the palace reveals the princess was admitted to Oslo National Hospital on Friday where she is said to be "on the road to recovery".
Mr Varpe added in a statement that the princess "needs rest and convalescence after a short illness".
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It is understood that she has been unwell for several weeks and was taken to the hospital after she was unable to shake off the illness.
King Harold and Queen Sonja were seen arriving at the hospital to visit the princess on Friday.
At aged 94, Astrid is still a regular fixture at royal events and continues to undertake her own regular engagements. When her widowed father, Olav, became king in 1957, Astrid served as Norway's "first lady" temporarily.
However, when her brother, Harold, married Sonja Haraldsen in 1968, the role went to her. But the princess has remained a stalwart supporter of her family and has been at her brother's side since he took the throne in 1991.
The princess, who was widowed in 2015, has five children and is also a great grandmother.
