In April, Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit arrived at a royal engagement with an oxygen cannula in her nose. Though she has been public about her diagnosis with pulmonary fibrosis—an irreversible disease that damages lung tissue—her new accessory was an early sign that her health had taken a turn for the worse. But last week, her doctors announced that she was going on the list for a lung transplant.
“The progression of the crown princess’s lung disease is serious,” respiratory specialist Are Holm said in a statement. “Following a comprehensive medical assessment, she has now been placed on the waiting list for patients who will undergo a lung transplant as soon as a suitable donor becomes available.”
In a statement, Norway’s royal household announced that Mette-Marit would be taking a break from royal work, while her husband, Crown Prince Haakon, and their two children would be adjusting their plans to spend more time with her. The crown prince “will limit longer journeys both within Norway and abroad before and after the operation,” it read.
The news comes amid a series of challenges and controversies for the family that has served as Norway’s heads of state for more than a century. Haakon’s mother, Queen Sonja, was admitted to the hospital in late May, following a diagnosis of heart failure and atrial fibrillation. In the winter, as her health deteriorated, Mette-Marit was in the news after her friendly correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein was released by the Department of Justice. She subsequently apologized for her “poor judgment,” adding that she wanted “to express my deep sympathy and solidarity with the victims of the abuse committed by Jeffrey Epstein.”
Marius Borg Høiby, the crown princess’s 29-year-old son from a previous relationship, has been facing legal challenges ever since he was arrested in 2024 after a violent incident in the Oslo neighborhood of Frogner. He faces 40 charges, including four counts of rape and one count of domestic abuse. Høiby denies these charges—but during his February trial, he pleaded guilty to a handful of others, including transporting drugs and violating a restraining order. He had spent much of the previous year on pretrial release, but was arrested right before the trial on suspicion of assault, making threats with a knife, and violating a restraining order. In May, Høiby asked to be released with an ankle monitor, but the Norway Supreme Court denied his request.
On Friday, Høiby—who is not in the Norwegian line of succession—learned his mother’s latest health update while in detention at an Oslo prison. He’s currently awaiting a verdict and sentence, which is due on June 15. Prosecutors are seeking a sentence of seven years and seven months due the severity of the charges against him.
On Sunday, Mette-Marit, Haakon, and Prince Sverre Magnus traveled to an Oslo prison to visit Høiby. According to NRK, the nation’s public broadcaster, he was released from custody for a few hours on Monday to meet with his mother and speak to her doctors at the family’s home, Skaugum Estate. (Norwegian law allows inmates brief day passes from prison for important family events, provided prisoners are accompanied by prison staff.)