Queen in hospital following heart failure days after being treated at home

Queen Sonja of Norway has been admitted to hospital with heart failure and heart fibrillation, the Norwegian royal court has announced.

The 88-year-old had reportedly been on sick leave for a week due to atrial fibrillation and heart failure, following an examination at Rikshospitalet in Oslo. "The Queen needs rest and an adjustment to her medication," the Norwegian royal family said in a press release at the time. However, she was treated at home until today, it is understood. Just 10 days ago, Queen Sonja was on the balcony of the palace during celebrations on May 17, and has made several other public appearances.

Last year, Queen Sonja was airlifted by helicopter to the National Hospital from Prinsehytta in Sikkilsdalen after experiencing shortness of breath, following an Easter Weekend break with her husband and head of state, King Harald.

She was briefly hospitalised and diagnosed with cardiac fibrillation – an irregular, chaotic heartbeat – following the ski trip. In January 2025, she had a pacemaker implanted.

Her latest hospitalisation comes at a worrying time for the Norwegian royal family. On May 15, the Royal Court announced that her Highness Princess Astrid was admitted to Rikshospitalet due to heart failure.

The monarch’s 94-year-old sister had a temporary pacemaker inserted and Princess Astrid wished to convey that she was in the best of hands, and would remain at Rikshospitalet for some time.

The Crown Prince Haakon of Norway also gave a worrying update about his wife, Crown Princess Mette-Marit's, on Tuesday.

She suffers from pulmonary fibrosis, a condition that causes progressive lung scarring and increasing difficulty breathing, which is incurable.

He said: "The Crown Princess is gravely ill, and I find that her condition has deteriorated significantly recently."