Norway's crown princess needs lung transplant, palace says

OSLO – Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit is expected to undergo a lung transplant after her health deteriorated in recent months, the royal household said on Friday.

The 52-year-old wife of Crown Prince Haakon, heir to the Norwegian throne, was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018. The chronic illness causes scarring of the lungs and reduces the body’s ability to absorb oxygen.

Medical tests conducted in recent months showed a clear decline in the crown princess’s condition, according to a statement from the palace.

“I had hoped to keep this illness under control with medication, and the progression had been quite slow, but now it has advanced more rapidly than both I and the doctors expected,” Mette-Marit told public broadcaster NRK.

The palace said it has not yet been decided when she will be placed on the lung transplant waiting list.

“We are approaching the time when a lung transplant will be necessary, and we are making the required preparations so that it can be carried out when the time comes,” said Professor Are Martin Holm of the Oslo University Hospital’s pulmonary unit in the same statement.

Crown Prince Haakon said the family has noticed changes in his wife’s condition.

“We have seen that she is struggling more with her breathing,” Haakon told NRK during a joint interview with the crown princess.

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre praised Mette-Marit for being open about her health, saying her transparency could help others facing similar illnesses.

“I believe all of Norway wishes her the very best and hopes she receives good treatment and a speedy recovery,” Støre told NRK.

Mette-Marit was 25, an unmarried single mother, and a commoner when she met Haakon at a music festival in 1999. Their relationship initially sparked media controversy but later evolved into a widely supported royal romance. -Reporting by Terje Solsvik; Editing by Kate Mayberry/Reuters