Norway’s King Harald V. (86) was released from the hospital last Monday. He had to be treated for an infection at the Rikshospitalet in Oslo. On National Day (May 17), also known as Constitution Day, the monarch appeared with his family and waved from the palace balcony. At his side were his wife Queen Sonja (85), son Haakon of Norway (49) with his wife Crown Princess Mette-Marit (49) and their son Sverre Magnus of Norway (17).

The Norwegian royal family shared several photos of the day’s celebrations on Instagram. The royals mostly stepped onto the balcony to welcome the children’s parade in Oslo. The national holiday is also considered a festival for children. In the pictures they wave Norwegian flags and wear traditional clothes. A total of 110 schools and around 30,000 children took part in this year’s parade in Oslo, the palace announced. The announcement also explained the absence of Sverre Magnus’ sister Princess Ingrid Alexandra (19): “She is finishing her final year at Elvebakken Secondary School and is celebrating the completion of her studies with her fellow students.”

On May 8, the palace announced that King Harald would be treated for “a few days” in the Oslo hospital for an infection. His son, heir to the throne Haakon of Norway, represented him. It is the third time in seven months that King Harald, who has been on the throne since 1991, has been in hospital. Already in August and December 2022 he had to be treated for an infection. And even before that, the monarch’s health was always a problem: in 2005 and 2020 he underwent surgery to replace a heart valve.