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Crown Princess Mette-Marit Added to Norway’s Lung Transplant Waiting List
The 52-year-old crown princess was added to the national list after further health decline. She was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018.
Jun 5, 4:30 AM·4m read5 sources
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Norway’s royal household stated on Friday that Crown Princess Mette-Marit has been placed on the national waiting list for a lung transplant. The decision followed thorough medical examinations and came after further deterioration of her health. Crown Princess Mette-Marit, 52, is the wife of Crown Prince Haakon, heir to the Norwegian throne.
She was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018. The disease causes scarring in the lungs and reduces oxygen uptake. Oslo University Hospital said in December that the time was approaching when a transplant must be performed, though the crown princess had not yet been placed on Norway’s list of possible recipients at that point.
Crown Prince Haakon said earlier this week that Mette-Marit’s condition had deteriorated and that she was struggling more to breathe. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere praised the crown princess for being open about her condition and said this could help others suffering from similar problems.
Mette-Marit was 25, an unmarried single mother and a commoner when she met Haakon at a music festival in 1999.
She became crown princess two years later when the couple married at Oslo Cathedral in front of 800 guests. Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 22, is returning to Norway from the University of Sydney to be by the side of Crown Princess Mette-Marit. “Ingrid Alexandra plans to come home soon.
It has to do with the family situation. She wants to be with her mother,” Crown Prince Haakon said during an official visit to Japan, according to Norwegian broadcaster NRK. The princess is in the middle of a three-year degree in international relations and political economy.
While she is expected to eventually return to Australia, Haakon said it is unclear how long she will remain at home. Last week, Haakon revealed the seriousness of her condition. “The Crown Princess is seriously ill, and I think she has gotten a bit worse lately,” he said, according to NRK.
“These six months have gone pretty well, I think. But there are different phases. So we just have to try to solve it as best we can,” he added. The Norwegian royal palace announced in March that Mette-Marit’s health had deteriorated.
