Queen Sonja of Norway, 87, admitted to hospital with 'breathing difficulties' - after having pacemaker installed in January
Queen Sonja of Norway, 87, has been admitted to an hospital after 'breathing difficulties', the royal palace announced.
'The Queen was transported by medical helicopter from the royal chalet in Sikkilsdalen, where the royal couple were spending the Easter holidays,' a statement read.
It is understood that the family has spent most of the holidays at the chalet this time of year, according to the NTB news agency.
Queen Sonja was briefly hospitalised in January after experiencing cardiac fibrillation, a rapid and irregular heartbeat. She then had a pacemaker installed, a procedure the palace described as 'successful.'
FEMAIL has reached out to the palace for comment.
The queen is married to King Harald - Europe's oldest reigning monarch at 87 - who has also had a pacemaker inserted last March after contracting an infection during a private vacation in Malaysia.
Both Sonja and Harald appeared to be in good spirits earlier this month, as they welcomed the President of Iceland for a gala dinner at the Royal Palace in Oslo.
The couple hosted Halla Tómasdóttir, 56 and her husband Björn Skúlason, 51, at an opulent evening with their Scandinavian neighbours.
Also in attendance were Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit, as well as their eldest daughter, Princess Ingrid Alexandra.
The young royal, 21, was the image of elegance in a pastel blue dress with a ruffled bodice - which she adorned with various regalia, including a stunning tiara.
Her mother, meanwhile, was sophisticated as ever in a champagne gown with a fitted silhouette and trumpet sleeves.
Intricate flower embroidery across the frock elevated the design, as Mette-Marit, 51, swept her platinum blonde tresses back into a sleek updo.
Meanwhile her husband Haakon, 51, was dapper in his uniform for the distinguished guests.
King Harald stepped out with Halla - who donned a striking navy frock with a bedazzled neckline - while Queen Sonja, 87, who was stunning in a sunny yellow ensemble, walked along next to the President's husband, Bjorn.
Princess Astrid of Norway, 93, was also in attendance.
Photos from the event showed the glorious palace interiors and the spread that was offered, with food and drinks for 196 guests.
And it's already been a busy year for the Norwegian royals. Last month, Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway was snapped enjoying a ski-ing competition in Oslo as she watched from the stands with her husband Prince Haakon.
The couple put on an animated display as they cheered on competitors taking part on day two at the annual FIS World Cup Nordic competition.
Starting on March 13, the competition hosted events on March 15 - when the royal couple were snapped enjoying the action, and March 16.
At one point during the day's action, Mette-Marit was snapped hugging her husband Crown Prince Haakon.
In a bid to stay warm amid the bracing temperatures, Mette-Marit wore a black padded coat, which she removed at times to show a warm, long-sleeved white top.
Meanwhile, her husband also donned a warm black coat, topped off with a navy beanie hat and sunglasses.
Queen Sonja and King Harald V were also snapped at the event, meeting Norwegian skier Therese Johaug who won the Women's Interval Start 20.0 km Classic race in the cross-country ski-ing category.
Mette-Marit's day out watching the skiing came after it was announced the Crown Princess's chronic disease had progressed.
The Norwegian Royal Court confirmed earlier last month that the royal is having daily symptoms due to her pulmonary fibrosis and requires 'more rest'.
'The Crown Princess needs more rest, and her daily routine changes more quickly than before,' the palace said in a press release, adding: 'This means that changes to her official schedule may occur more frequently and at shorter notice than we are used to.'
The court warned late last year that Mette-Marit's pulmonary fibrosis may interfere with her planned duties.
The most recent statement read: 'Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mette-Marit's chronic disease pulmonary fibrosis has progressed.
'The Crown Princess has daily symptoms and ailments that affect her ability to perform her duties.
'The Crown Princess needs more rest, and her daily routine changes more quickly than before. This means that changes to her official schedule may occur more frequently and at shorter notice than we are used to.
'The Crown Princess has a strong desire to continue working, and therefore we will organise her official programme in the future in the best possible way so that her health and work can be combined.'
Mette-Marit's health condition was first made public in 2018, when it was revealed she had been diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis or the thickening of lung tissue.
At the time, Mette-Marit issued a statement explaining that the condition 'means my working capacity will vary' to accommodate her treatment including 'periods of time without an official programme'.
'For a number of years, I have had health challenges on a regular basis, and now we know more about what is involved,' the mother-of-three said. 'The condition means that my working capacity will vary.
'The Crown Prince and I are choosing to make this public now partly because in future there will be a need to plan periods of time without an official programme to accommodate treatment and when the disease is more active.'
Pulmonary fibrosis is incurable and worsens over time, but the Norwegian royal's doctor, Professor Kristian Bjøro at the National Hospital, said they'd been monitoring her condition for several years and the 'disease progression has been slow over this period'.
Not much is known about the unusual variant of fibrosis that was detected in Mette-Marit's lung but, according to the Royal House, 'there is broad consensus that, unlike other more common types of pulmonary fibrosis, it is not related to environmental or lifestyle factors'.
The fact that the disease was detected at an early stage improves Mette-Marit's prognosis, as per the Palace's official statement.
'Even if such a diagnosis will limit my life at times, I am glad that the disease has been discovered so early. My goal is still to work and participate in the official programme as much as possible,' the mother-of-three said.
According to the NHS, the symptoms of pulmonary fibrosis include shortness of breath, loss of appetite and weight loss, extreme tiredness, a persistent dry cough, and swollen fingertips.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
2 days ago
- Scotsman
Warning over classroom game accused of 'brainwashing' UK schoolchildren
Campaigners have accused the educational game of targeting children with 'propaganda' 💻 Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... EnergyTown is an online city builder game aimed at helping UK schools teach pupils about the energy system It is funded by energy giant Equinor, and hosts yearly school competitions Materials associated with the game describe renewable energy sources as 'less reliable' Climate campaigners accuse it of targeting children with fossil fuel propaganda But Equinor says the game demonstrates how the green energy transition is about balance Environment campaigners have sounded the alarm over a free online game being marketed to UK schoolchildren - which they say is designed to make them feel more positively about fossil fuels. EnergyTown is funded by Norwegian energy giant Equinor. Aimed at children aged nine to 14, it comes with free educational resources to be used in lessons. It allows them to build and power a city that will survive until the year 2050 - while juggling factors like their 'green score', community happiness, and finances. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The game first launched in October 2023, and as of last year, Equinor said that it had reached more than 81,400 pupils across the UK. The game also holds a schools competition with a £1,000 cash prize, with this year's event set to close on Friday (June 6). But Greenpeace accuses it of being an attempt to 'brainwash schoolchildren'. The game suggests that oil can be part of a green energy mix, and in an online help page - titled 'how to improve your score in EnergyTown - on the game's Equinor-funded host site, it warns young players that renewable energy is 'less reliable'. The EnergyTown game is marketed towards UK schoolchildren, and funded by energy giant Equinor | (Image: National World/Adobe Stock/Getty/AFP via Getty) 'If you're relying on electricity from renewable energy resources like wind and solar power, you may have less electricity due to these energy resources being less reliable,' the page says. 'You should invest in a more reliable way to generate electricity, such as nuclear, oil, natural gas or hydrogen.' Equinor is also the majority owner of the controversial Rosebank oil and gas field development, 80 miles west of Shetland, which is thought to be the largest untapped oilfield in UK waters. In January this year, its consent was quashed by the Scottish Court of Session as unlawful, the BBC reports, meaning its owners must seek fresh approval from the UK Government before they begin extracting oil. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But the project has been widely protested by campaigners, who say that new oil and gas projects are not compatible with the UK's climate commitments. 'We know exactly what Equinor is playing at,' Mel Evans, the head of Greenpeace UK's climate team, said. 'This so-called educational game is a thinly-disguised attempt to greenwash oil and gas by targeting children with fossil fuel propaganda. The bitter irony is that while fossil fuels may help build a 'sustainable' energy future in the game's fictional world, they're driving more devastating floods in some of these schoolkids' communities,' she continued. 'For that reason alone, this cynical PR ploy is doomed to fail. We know many young children know a lot about the climate crisis and what's driving it. If Equinor wants to win young hearts and minds, it should get serious about ditching fossil fuels and shifting to clean energy.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Equinor spokesperson Magnus Frantzen Eidsvold told us that the game was part of Equinor's ordinary activities and programs 'to stimulate the interest in science and technology (STEM) among young people, and not developed as part of any Rosebank campaign'. 'Equinor wants to contribute to ensuring the next generation is equipped with the skills needed to drive the energy industry and transition forward,' he continued. The game had been developed using data from the International Energy Agency (IEA), which verified the scenarios used in EnergyTown to 'ensure they are realistic and representative of the UK's current energy system'. The game was designed to reflect this complexity and showed that the energy transition was about balance, he added, requiring a mix of sources over time. 'The IEA forecast that fossil fuels may be required in 2050 especially in areas where renewables alone can't meet demand. EnergyTown is not about endorsing any one solution, rather it's about equipping the next generation with knowledge to make better decisions.' The game was developed by marketing agency We Are Futures, and was quality-asserted for UK schoolchildren by the Association for Science Education (ASE). We have approached both organisations for comment. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
North Wales Chronicle
2 days ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Greenpeace condemns Equinor-funded computer game aimed at UK schoolchildren
EnergyTown, aimed at children aged nine to 14, encourages players to build a city that will survive until 2050 by balancing energy, economy, environment and population wellbeing demands. The game shows fossil fuels as part of a clean future energy mix, while players who start the game with a heavy reliance on renewable energy often fail to reach the mid-century milestone. It comes as part of a school education programme launched in October 2023 by Equinor called Wonderverse, with the firm saying it has reached more than 81,400 UK pupils by the following July. The deadline for schools to enter the 2025 nationwide EnergyTown competition is on Friday. The Norwegian oil major, which is seeking to develop the controversial Rosebank oil field in the UK North Sea, has previously denied that the game is part of a lobbying campaign but rather the firm's ambitions to make young people curious about science and technology. Greenpeace has fiercely criticised the game, claiming the fossil fuel company's support for the project is a 'cynical PR ploy'. The PA News Agency has contacted Equinor for comment. Mel Evans, head of Greenpeace UK's climate team, said: 'We know many young children know a lot about the climate crisis and what's driving it. 'If Equinor wants to win young hearts and minds, it should get serious about ditching fossil fuels and shifting to clean energy.' Greenpeace highlighted a Wonderverse webpage that tells players how to improve their scores if their city fails before the mid-century mark. While it says that players should think about phasing out non-renewable energy resources as the game progresses to improve its green score, they are also advised to invest in 'more reliable' fossil fuels, nuclear and hydrogen to power their cities. It notes: 'If you're relying on electricity from renewable energy resources like wind and solar power, you may have less electricity due to these energy resources being less reliable. 'Therefore, your other facilities (such as the businesses and recreational tiles) may struggle to run.' The page later adds: 'You should invest in a more reliable way to generate electricity, such as nuclear, oil, natural gas or hydrogen. 'It is important to consider that this may negatively impact your green score,' it adds. 'You should think about how you can phase out non-renewable energy resources as you progress later in the game.' Last July, the nationwide EnergyTown competition saw 160 children take part and an 11-year-old boy in Walmley Junior School, Birmingham, win the primary school level contest. In a statement at the time, Sue Falch-Lovesey, Equinor's UK Head of Social Value, said the competition 'showed a good level of understanding of the variety of energy sources our cities of the future will need'. Greenpeace highlighted how Birmingham was hit by flash floods a week after the energy firm published the press release on its website. Ms Evans said: 'Thanks to companies like Equinor, these children are living in homes with higher energy bills; living through summers of wildfires and droughts, and winters of increasingly worse flooding. 'The UK government should stop Rosebank, and should instead invest in the wind industry in the regions where workers and communities need to transition.' After the regulator granted approval for Equinor to develop Rosebank in 2023, the Scottish Court of Session ruled the decision as unlawful in January this year. Equinor is expected to reapply for its consent to drill at Rosebank once the Government's revised guidance on emissions produced by burning oil and gas is released. EnergyTown was developed for the Equinor programme by the marketing agency We Are Futures, which has worked for other high-emitting firms like BP. In a statement, Equinor said: 'The overall intention and aim for Wonderverse and EnergyTown is to provide schools and teachers with a suite of high-quality resources to help students learn more about where energy comes from, whilst building science subject affinity and the employability skills needed to successfully enter employment.' The company said the programme has been awarded a green tick by the Association for Science Education, assuring the programme's quality for use in schools, and the game used data from the International Energy Agency to ensure the scenarios are realistic and representative of the UK's current energy system. 'The path to 2050 is complex,' it said. 'The game is designed to reflect this complexity and using the real-world data the game is based on, shows the energy transition is about balance, requiring a mix of sources over time. 'The development of the game is part of Equinor's ordinary activities and programmes to stimulate the interest in science and technology (STEM) among young people, and not developed as part of any Rosebank campaign.'
South Wales Guardian
2 days ago
- South Wales Guardian
Greenpeace condemns Equinor-funded computer game aimed at UK schoolchildren
EnergyTown, aimed at children aged nine to 14, encourages players to build a city that will survive until 2050 by balancing energy, economy, environment and population wellbeing demands. The game shows fossil fuels as part of a clean future energy mix, while players who start the game with a heavy reliance on renewable energy often fail to reach the mid-century milestone. It comes as part of a school education programme launched in October 2023 by Equinor called Wonderverse, with the firm saying it has reached more than 81,400 UK pupils by the following July. The deadline for schools to enter the 2025 nationwide EnergyTown competition is on Friday. The Norwegian oil major, which is seeking to develop the controversial Rosebank oil field in the UK North Sea, has previously denied that the game is part of a lobbying campaign but rather the firm's ambitions to make young people curious about science and technology. Greenpeace has fiercely criticised the game, claiming the fossil fuel company's support for the project is a 'cynical PR ploy'. The PA News Agency has contacted Equinor for comment. Mel Evans, head of Greenpeace UK's climate team, said: 'We know many young children know a lot about the climate crisis and what's driving it. 'If Equinor wants to win young hearts and minds, it should get serious about ditching fossil fuels and shifting to clean energy.' Greenpeace highlighted a Wonderverse webpage that tells players how to improve their scores if their city fails before the mid-century mark. While it says that players should think about phasing out non-renewable energy resources as the game progresses to improve its green score, they are also advised to invest in 'more reliable' fossil fuels, nuclear and hydrogen to power their cities. It notes: 'If you're relying on electricity from renewable energy resources like wind and solar power, you may have less electricity due to these energy resources being less reliable. 'Therefore, your other facilities (such as the businesses and recreational tiles) may struggle to run.' The page later adds: 'You should invest in a more reliable way to generate electricity, such as nuclear, oil, natural gas or hydrogen. 'It is important to consider that this may negatively impact your green score,' it adds. 'You should think about how you can phase out non-renewable energy resources as you progress later in the game.' Last July, the nationwide EnergyTown competition saw 160 children take part and an 11-year-old boy in Walmley Junior School, Birmingham, win the primary school level contest. In a statement at the time, Sue Falch-Lovesey, Equinor's UK Head of Social Value, said the competition 'showed a good level of understanding of the variety of energy sources our cities of the future will need'. Greenpeace highlighted how Birmingham was hit by flash floods a week after the energy firm published the press release on its website. Ms Evans said: 'Thanks to companies like Equinor, these children are living in homes with higher energy bills; living through summers of wildfires and droughts, and winters of increasingly worse flooding. 'The UK government should stop Rosebank, and should instead invest in the wind industry in the regions where workers and communities need to transition.' After the regulator granted approval for Equinor to develop Rosebank in 2023, the Scottish Court of Session ruled the decision as unlawful in January this year. Equinor is expected to reapply for its consent to drill at Rosebank once the Government's revised guidance on emissions produced by burning oil and gas is released. EnergyTown was developed for the Equinor programme by the marketing agency We Are Futures, which has worked for other high-emitting firms like BP. In a statement, Equinor said: 'The overall intention and aim for Wonderverse and EnergyTown is to provide schools and teachers with a suite of high-quality resources to help students learn more about where energy comes from, whilst building science subject affinity and the employability skills needed to successfully enter employment.' The company said the programme has been awarded a green tick by the Association for Science Education, assuring the programme's quality for use in schools, and the game used data from the International Energy Agency to ensure the scenarios are realistic and representative of the UK's current energy system. 'The path to 2050 is complex,' it said. 'The game is designed to reflect this complexity and using the real-world data the game is based on, shows the energy transition is about balance, requiring a mix of sources over time. 'The development of the game is part of Equinor's ordinary activities and programmes to stimulate the interest in science and technology (STEM) among young people, and not developed as part of any Rosebank campaign.'
