Eight years ago, in 2018, Norwegian Princess Mette-Marit was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, an incurable disease that attacks and scars lung tissue. Over the years, the disease progressed to the point that the princess began to struggle to breathe. Last week, she was hospitalized, where doctors came to the disappointing conclusion that Prince Haakon’s wife had no more than a year to live without a lung transplant. Dr. Are Martin Holm, a pulmonologist at Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, who is overseeing the princess’s treatment, reported that after a medical examination, Mette-Marit was added to the list of patients who will undergo a lung transplant “as soon as a suitable donor becomes available.”
It is worth noting that the princess’s health condition has affected the entire royal family. Crown Prince Haakon, Mette-Marit’s husband, cut short his official visit to Japan this week to return to Norway. The 52-year-old prince will also reduce his travel before and after the operation to spend more time with his wife. It is also reported that 22-year-old Princess Ingrid Alexandra, who studied at the University of Sydney, has also returned to her homeland and will spend the autumn semester as an exchange student at the University of Oslo. Her brother, 20-year-old Prince Sverre Magnus, will study in Europe this autumn and “will return to Norway when the situation requires,” according to an official statement from the royal house.
All this is happening at a turbulent time for the royal family. Royal historians call the current period the most severe crisis the royal family has experienced since the dynasty was founded in 1905. In February, the US Department of Justice released documents confirming close ties between the princess and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, prompting her to apologize. Her 29-year-old son, Marius Borg Høiby, faces 38 charges, including four counts of rape and six counts of filming people without consent. His sentencing is expected on June 15.
