Princess Mette-Marit, heir to the throne of Norway, has been added to the national waiting list for a lung transplant. The announcement came after a marked worsening of his clinical condition over the last six months. At 52 years old, she has been dealing with a rare form of pulmonary fibrosis since 2018, a chronic condition that causes progressive breathing difficulties and has already forced her to limit public engagements.
According to Professor Are Holm, a pulmonologist at Oslo National Hospital (Rikshospitalet), recent assessments revealed significant growth of scar tissue in the princess’s lungs.
“Pulmonary function tests indicate that her condition has deteriorated significantly in the last three months. This is a serious condition”, declared the specialist during a press conference held this Friday (5).
Entry onto the transplant list follows strict medical protocols: the procedure is reserved for cases in which life expectancy without surgery is around one year, but the patient still has general conditions to face the complex operation. The outcome now depends on identifying a donor compatible in size and blood type. Hospital sources indicate that in many similar cases in Norway, these are double lung transplants.
Impact on the Crown
The Royal Palace announced that the Crown Princess can no longer perform official duties for an indefinite period. The royal family’s agenda is already registering changes: the couple’s silver wedding, scheduled for August, has been postponed, and the couple will not participate in the golden wedding of the kings of Sweden, scheduled for June 13th.
The situation mobilized close relatives. Crown Prince Haakon brought forward his return from an official trip to Japan to be by his wife’s side. The couple’s daughter, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, suspended her studies at the University of Sydney, in Australia, to return to Oslo and remain in Norway throughout the autumn in the northern hemisphere. In recent events, Mette-Marit already appeared with supplemental oxygen support.
Parallel crises
The worsening of the disease comes at a delicate time for the princess. In January, documents released in the United States exposed exchanges of correspondence between her and Jeffrey Epstein, convicted of sexual crimes, between 2011 and 2014.
At the same time, the family follows the legal developments involving Marius Borg Høiby, Mette-Marit’s eldest son. Høiby recently responds to accusations of rape and repeated violence against his ex-partner, facts that he disputes. The sentence is expected to be issued on June 15th. His defense requested immediate release citing his mother’s fragile health, but the court decision is still pending.
