Doctors satisfied:

King Harald (87) can undergo heart surgery

King Harald needs a permanent pacemaker.(Bild: Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

King Harald of Norway will undergo heart surgery in Oslo at the beginning of next week. He will receive a permanent pacemaker after his infection has cleared up.

The Norwegian royal family stated in a press release on Wednesday that the 87-year-old is "steadily improving" and that his general condition is satisfactory. The doctors are satisfied with the development, the infection is under control and the pacemaker is expected to be inserted at the beginning of next week.

Thanks to the royal couple
The Norwegian royal couple also expressed their gratitude for the help and care they have received following the King's illness. "It is of great concern to us to thank you for the care, help and support in connection with the King's illness during our vacation in Malaysia," the statement reads. Following the safe journey home, we would also like to express our special thanks to the Malaysian authorities and the staff at Sultanah Maliha Hospital in Langkawi. 

The King will now receive expert treatment at the Rikshospitalet. 

King Harald and Queen Sonja(Bild: Jonas Ekströmer / TT News Agency / picturedesk.com)

Infection on vacation in Malaysia
Harald V was admitted to hospital on the island of Langkawi in northwest Malaysia during a vacation trip due to an infection. At the weekend, the king was temporarily fitted with a pacemaker, which has to be replaced by a permanent one.

 According to the king's personal physician, this was to make it safer for Harald V to return home. The patient was then repatriated on Sunday.

Europe's oldest reigning monarch
Harald V is the oldest reigning monarch in Europe. The Norwegian head of state walks on crutches and has had to deal with health problems time and again in recent years. He has undergone heart surgery and repeatedly suffered from respiratory infections.

Harald V, who has been Norway's king for 33 years, rejected speculation about abdication in January: "I stand by what I have always said, that I have sworn an oath to the Storting (the Norwegian parliament) and that it is for life," he said in Oslo.

The clarification was prompted by the abdication of his distant cousin, 83-year-old Margrethe II, in Denmark in January.