OSLO, Norway — Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway has undergone a successful lung transplant in Oslo, the royal household announced Wednesday, offering relief to a nation that has watched her health deteriorate since she was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018.
Doctors at Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet said the 52-year-old princess will remain under observation for several weeks, a standard procedure for transplant patients. “We are delighted that everything has progressed well so far,” said lung specialist Are Holm, who cautioned that recovery will be delicate and lifelong immunosuppressive medication will be required.
Prince Haakon, her husband, will adjust his official schedule to support her during recovery, the palace said.
The transplant comes at a turbulent time for the royal family. Just two days earlier, Mette-Marit’s son, Marius Borg Høiby, was sentenced to four years in prison after being convicted of rape. Although not a royal himself, his case has drawn public attention, with his lawyers unsuccessfully seeking temporary release so he could spend time with his mother during her illness.
Royal historian Ole-Jørgen Schulsrud-Hansen called the transplant “very happy news for the Norwegian royal family and the Kingdom of Norway,” noting that many Norwegians had feared the worst as her condition worsened.
Mette-Marit, who married Crown Prince Haakon in 2001, has long been candid about her health struggles. Pulmonary fibrosis, a rare disease that scars lung tissue and makes breathing increasingly difficult, forced her to scale back public duties. Earlier this year, she was seen in public with an oxygen device, underscoring the severity of her illness. Doctors said patients placed on the transplant list are typically believed to have less than a year to live.
Her case echoes other high-profile royal health battles. Princess Charlene of Monaco faced prolonged illness and surgeries in recent years, while Britain’s King Charles III has undergone cancer treatment. Such episodes often spark public debate about transparency in royal health and highlight the human vulnerability behind regal titles.
Reactions in Norway have been overwhelmingly supportive. Social media was flooded with messages under the hashtag #GodBedringMetteMarit (“Get well soon, Mette-Marit”), while Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre praised her openness, saying it has helped raise awareness of pulmonary fibrosis. Some critics questioned whether royals receive preferential treatment in transplant queues, but hospital officials stressed that medical urgency alone determines priority.
The successful surgery marks a turning point in what has been a difficult year for the Norwegian royals, following revelations in January of Mette-Marit’s past contact with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a relationship she later apologized for, calling it “poor judgment.”
For now, the focus remains on her recovery. Doctors say one in eight lung transplant patients do not survive the first year, but many Norwegians are hopeful that the Crown Princess will defy the odds and return to public life.
