Hundreds gather at palace as Europe’s oldest living monarch remains hospitalized

Norway's King Harald, 89, was in a "very serious" condition in hospital on Thursday, the royal court said, and family members gathered for several hours at his bedside.

Hundreds of people gathered outside the Royal Palace in Oslo and in the centre of other major Norwegian cities, and many laid flowers as they awaited further news of the monarch's health.

The palace said in a second statement later on Thursday that his ⁠condition remained unchanged and that Crown Prince Haakon and Harald's wife, Queen Sonja, had cancelled several planned trips.

Europe's oldest living monarch and Norway's ceremonial head of state since 1991, Harald was taken to hospital on August 17. The palace said he was being treated for a bacterial infection in his blood.

Members of Harald's family, including the crown prince, the queen and his grandchildren, visited the Oslo University Hospital where the king is being treated. Most of them were later observed leaving the venue.

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere cancelled a trip to Germany because of the king's condition.

"The whole nation is with us as we send warm thoughts to ‌the king ⁠and the rest of the royal family," he said in a statement.

Opinion polls show widespread backing among Norwegians for the monarchy, with almost two-thirds of respondents voicing their support in a survey in May this year, and with Harald as the most popular individual ⁠member of the royal family.

While the king has no formal political powers, Harald has comforted the nation in times of mourning, travelling to the scene of natural disasters to meet survivors and addressing victims of attacks.