King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway are the latest royals to have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
The royal palace has confirmed the Norwegian royals, both 83, received the jab to protect them against the novel coronavirus on Jan. 13. The King's sister, Princess Astrid, 88, was also vaccinated.
"The royal couple will receive the next vaccine in three weeks," a brief statement from the palace said.
Harald has battled health problems in the last few decades. He had bladder cancer from 2003 to 2004 and had heart surgery in 2005. In December 2019, the King contracted a viral infection and in January 2020 he was admitted to the hospital for breathing problems. In October 2020, he had a heart valve replaced due to the breathing difficulties.
In November 2020, Harald and Sonja had to quarantine, along with 14 staff members, after a royal court employee tested positive for COVID-19.
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Harald and Sonja were last photographed in public when they attended grandson Prince Sverre Magnus's Confirmation service in Asker Church in Oslo in September 2020.
King Harald V and Queen Sonja attend Prince Sverre Magnus's Confirmation service in Asker Church on Sept. 5, 2020 in Oslo. Photo: © Rune Hellestad/Getty Images
Harald gave a speech as we rang in 2021 in which he discussed the coronavirus pandemic's impact. The message, which was delivered in Norwegian, was about perseverance in the face of adversity.
"For there is hope, there is a way of life," the King said. "Hope is will, hope is action. Hope is to fix our eyes on something that gives us meaning – and follow it. The hope will carry us all into 2021."
We recently saw Harald when he delivered the Norwegian Sports Prize Finn of the Year during an audience at the palace on Jan. 10.
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A few older royals around the world have received the COVID-19 vaccine.
Queen Margrethe of Denmark was the first European royal to announce she had received the jab. The 80-year-old was inoculated on New Year's Day, according to a statement released from Kongehuset. The Danish royal is set to receive her second dose of the vaccine in about three weeks from her first shot.
On Jan. 9, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson confirmed that the Queen and Prince Philip had been vaccinated against COVID-19. Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh received inoculations from the Household Doctor at Windsor Castle.
