Queen Sonja of Norway, 87, is rushed to hospital following ‘snowboarding incident’

Queen Sonja of Norway was admitted to hospital with a skiing-related injury yesterday, the royal household has revealed.

In relation to her ski trip, the 87-year-old monarch, who is married to King Harald V of Norway, also 87, suffers from atrial fibrillation, a heart condition that causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate, according to the NHS.

Despite the hospital admittance, Sonja’s condition is not thought to be serious, and she is in good shape,  the family told Sweden Herald.

She was today discharged from Lillehammer hospital with a normal heart rhythm, the palace said.

Though the royal was out on duty last week, her calendar is clear of appointments in the upcoming weeks.

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre released a statement to NTB, a Norwegian news agency, wishing the queen a speedy recovery ‘and hopes that she will soon be ready for new skiing trips’.

The Queen is not known to have suffered from any health issues in recent times, unlike Harald, who received a permanent pacemaker last March.

A month prior, Harald fell ill during a private holiday with his wife on the Malaysian resort island of Langkawi. He underwent surgery there and received a temporary pacemaker due to a low heart rate.

Harald returned to Norway aboard a medical airplane and was immediately transferred to an Oslo hospital. The king’s doctor, Bjørn Bendz, said that he had contracted an undetermined infection in Malaysia. 

The implant will help ensure that Harald’s heart beats regularly, and replaced the temporary pacemaker that he received before.

The monarch has been in frail health in recent years with numerous hospital stays. He had an operation to replace a heart valve in October 2020 after being hospitalised with breathing difficulties.

Despite suffering from various health concerns, Harald has repeatedly said that he has no plans to abdicate, unlike his second cousin Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, who stepped down last year.

The 87-year-old’s duties as Norway’s head of state are ceremonial and he holds no political power. He ascended to the throne following the death of his father, King Olav, in 1991.

It comes after Sonja’s daughter-in-law and son, Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, put on a united front as they attended the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony in the capital of Oslo last month.

Mette-Marit, 51, put her personal health struggles and her son’s rape and assault charges to one side to join her husband and his parents, reigning monarch King Harald V and Queen Sonja, at Oslo City Hall.

Awarded annually, the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize was presented to The Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers, founded in 1956 and known as Nihon Hidankyo.

Nihon Hidankyo was honoured for ‘its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again,’ according to the Nobel Prize website.

The royals put on a cheerful display despite having endured a difficult few months; Mette-Marit has suffered with her chronic lung disease and her son Marius Borg Høiby, from a previous relationship, is awaiting trial on charges of rape and domestic violence.

But the Princess appeared in good form as she joined her family members at the annual ceremony in Norway’s capital.

Mette-Marit has been gradually returning to her official royal duties after she fell ill due to medicinal side effects associated with her chronic lung disease. 

In late October, the Norwegian Royal Court confirmed to Femail that she was taking some time off, saying: ‘H.K.H. The Crown Princess is on sick leave.

‘Due to side effects of the medication that Her Royal Highness is using for her chronic lung disease, she is on sick leave, initially for a week. Her official program during this period will be cancelled or postponed.’

Another source of anguish has been Mette-Marit’s son and Haakon’s stepson Marius Borg Høiby, often referred to as the ‘black sheep’ of the royal family of Norway.

Currently awaiting trial on charges of rape and domestic violence, the 27-year-old found himself in hot water again after allegedly breaching a restraining order against one of his alleged victims.

After leaving a rehab facility in London, the stepson of Crown Prince Haakon, is said to have contacted one of the women, breaching the terms of the order, according to Norwegian media. It’s not clear if Borg Høiby has been arrested again.

His first arrest was on August 4 for an assault, he was then arrested again on September 13 for a different alleged assault and a third time in November on rape charges.

In November, Borg Høiby was released from custody after he was arrested on suspicion of rape.

Borg Høiby – who has been accused of a second rape – was banned from having visitors and letters during his stay in custody due to the risk of tampering with evidence, NRK reported.

Police have said they would not seek further detention of Borg Høiby because they believe there is no longer a danger that evidence will be lost or destroyed.

At the time, police allegedly requested that Borg Høiby be detained for two weeks, but he was only held for one, according to local paper Se Og Hor.

They also reported that he has been given two new restraining orders. Speaking of Borg Høiby’s release, his defence lawyer Øyvind Bratlien told NRK: ‘This was not surprising. He shouldn’t have been imprisoned at all. I think it was wrong, I won’t say more.’

Oslo police also began an investigation into a new allegation of a sexual offence, for which he has not been charged, NRK reported. Details about the new allegations were not immediately available.

Borg Høiby is the stepson of the heir to the Norwegian throne, Crown Prince Haakon, and the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit from a previous relationship. He has no royal title or official duties.

He was arrested last week in Oslo on a preliminary charge of having had ‘sexual intercourse with someone who is unconscious or for other reasons unable to resist the act.’

A preliminary charge comes before a formal charge and allows authorities to detain suspects during an investigation.

At the time, police did not say when the alleged rape occurred, but only that ‘the victim must have been unable to resist the act.’ Norwegian media reported that Borg Høiby has denied the accusation.

‘Marius is facing serious accusations, which the police and the judiciary will deal with… I am convinced they will do a good job,’ Prince Haakon told public broadcaster NRK before the detention order last week.

Speaking about the second allegation, police lawyer Andreas Kruszewski had said it ‘involves sexual intercourse without consent with a woman incapable of resisting the act’.

Investigators searched and seized items from Borg Høiby’s home. The police investigation is ongoing, and no trial date has been set.

Since his arrest, a shocking video of Borg Høiby has been shared with the Norwegian publication Se og Hør, which allegedly shows the former mechanic illustrating how he ended the relationship with an ex.

In the clip, Borg Høiby is reportedly asked: ‘How did you break up with your last girlfriend?’. Shrugging his shoulders, he then leans forward towards the camera as he makes a slapping gesture with his hands.

It is not known when the video was recorded – but it was allegedly published in a group in Borg Høiby’s own network, which consists of around 50 people.

Borg Høiby’s lawyer, Bratlien, said his client was innocent and was opposed to being held in preventive detention.

Bratlien said he would appeal the detention ruling, but welcomed the fact that judges had not granted the police request for a two-week detention. ‘We consider that promising,’ he said in a written statement to NRK.

The rape charge comes after he was accused of bodily harm following a late-night row on August 4 at the Oslo apartment of a woman he was having a relationship with, police said.

Norwegian media reported that police found a knife stuck in one of the woman’s bedroom walls at the time.

Borg Høiby in a later statement to the media admitted to causing her bodily harm while he was under the influence of cocaine and alcohol and of damaging her apartment. He said he regretted his acts.

Borg Høiby was arrested again in September for breaching a restraining order.

When he was detained last Monday, he was in a car with the alleged victim of the August incident, according to police.

Borg Høiby was raised by the royal couple alongside his step-siblings Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 20, and Prince Sverre Magnus, 18. Unlike them however he has no official public role.

The Norwegian royal family was rocked by Borg Høiby’s first arrest at the beginning of August, after a woman – Rebecca Helberg Arntsen – was left in hospital with her injuries following an attack.

A week after his arrest, Borg Høiby admitted to the assault on Rebecca, whom he referred to as his ‘girlfriend’ (her lawyers have refuted this claim).

In a statement issued via his own lawyer, Borg Høiby said he suffers from ‘several mental disorders’ and has ‘struggled with substance abuse for a long time’, which he said he is resuming treatment for.

The statement read: ‘Last weekend something happened that should never have happened. I committed bodily harm and destroyed objects in an apartment in the intoxication of alcohol and cocaine after an argument.

‘I have several mental disorders which mean that throughout my upbringing and adult life, I have had, and still have, challenges. I have struggled with substance abuse for a long time, something I have been in treatment for in the past.

‘The drug use and my diagnoses do not excuse what happened in the apartment at Frogner on the night of Sunday last weekend. I want to be responsible for what I have done, and will explain myself truthfully to the police.

‘For me, the most important thing is to say sorry to my girlfriend. She deserved neither what happened that night, nor the extreme pressure from both the Norwegian and foreign press afterwards.’

Mette-Marit’s eldest son also apologised to his family for his actions that have ‘greatly affected you’.