Norway’s aging king, Harald V, is on sick leave because of a respiratory infection

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Norway’s aging king, Harald V, is on sick leave until Feb. 2 because of a respiratory infection. The Norwegian palace made the announcement Wednesday. The 86-year-old monarch, who has repeatedly said he has no plans to abdicate unlike his second cousin Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, has been hospitalized several times in recent months. In December, he was admitted to a hospital with an infection and was treated with intravenous antibiotics. The heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haakon, has stepped in and taken over his father’s duties, the royal household said. Harald’s duties as Norway’s head of state are ceremonial and he holds no political power.