Copenhagen (Denmark), Mar 22 (AP) 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.

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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.

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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. (AP)

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