Reuters —
Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway has undergone a successful lung transplant and is on the road to recovery, the royal family announced in a statement on Wednesday.
The 52-year-old wife of Crown Prince Haakon, heir to the Norwegian throne, was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018. Pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic disease that causes scarring in the lungs and reduced oxygen uptake.
Oslo University Hospital announced on June 5 that Mette-Marit’s health has deteriorated so much that she is likely to only have a year to live without surgery and has been placed on the waiting list for a lung transplant.
“Like all newly transplanted patients, the Crown Princess will remain in the hospital for the next few weeks,” Professor Ar Holm of Oslo University Hospital said in a statement provided by the palace.
Crown Prince Haakon said in December that the family noticed changes in Mette-Marit’s condition, saying she was having more trouble breathing.
Prime Minister Jonas Gare Storey praised the Crown Princess for being open about her condition, saying this could help others suffering from similar problems.
When she met Haakon at a music festival in 1999, Mette Marit was 25 years old, an unmarried single mother, and an ordinary person. This was the beginning of an unexpected royal romance that started with a media uproar and eventually captivated the majority of the nation.
