Norway's king Harald V tests positive for Covid-19, has mild symptoms

Norway's 85-year-old King Harald V on Tuesday tested positive for the coronavirus and has mild symptoms, royal officials said.

Harald will take a break from his duties for a few days and his son and heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haakon, will take them over for now, the royal household said in a statement.

Harald has received three COVID-19 vaccine shots, although he had been ill several times in recent years, including in 2020 when he had an operation for a new heart valve.

Harald's duties as Norway's Head of the State are ceremonial, and he holds no political power.

He ascended to the throne following the death of his father, King Olav, on January 17, 1991.

Harald, the country's first native-born king since the 14th century, married a commoner as a prince and won hearts in his egalitarian country by leading the mourning in 2011 for the victims of mass killer Anders Behring Breivik.