The future Queen of Norway is putting her studies on hold and rushing home from Australia as her mom battles a worsening illness.<\/p>\n
Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 22, is returning to Norway from the University of Sydney to be by the side of Crown Princess Mette-Marit, whose chronic lung disease<\/a> has recently deteriorated, according to Norwegian broadcaster NRK<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIngrid Alexandra plans to come home soon. It has to do with the family situation. She wants to be with her mother,\u201d Crown Prince Haakon said during an official visit to Japan, the outlet reported Monday.<\/p>\n Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 22, is returning to Norway from Australia as her mom\u2019s health worsens. Corbis via Getty Images<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The decision comes as Mette-Marit, 52, continues her battle with chronic pulmonary fibrosis, a lung disease she was diagnosed with in 2018.<\/p>\n Last week, Haakon revealed the seriousness of her condition.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Crown Princess is seriously ill, and I think she has gotten a bit worse lately,\u201d he said, according to NRK<\/a>. \u201cSo I am worried about her health.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThese 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,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Crown Princess Mette-Marit, pictured with Ingrid Alexandra, has been battling chronic pulmonary fibrosis since 2018. Getty Images<\/p>\n The Norwegian royal palace announced in March that Mette-Marit\u2019s health had \u201cdeteriorated.\u201d Just days ago, officials also cut short<\/a> Haakon\u2019s trip to Japan because of her \u201chealth situation.\u201d<\/p>\n Mette-Marit has recently been seen at public events wearing a nasal cannula, an oxygen tube that helps with her breathing.<\/p>\n Asked whether she could eventually need a lung transplant, Haakon said, \u201cIt\u2019s a medical question. So they\u2019re the ones who decide when it should happen, when it\u2019s right. But I think she\u2019s gotten a lot worse lately, unfortunately.\u201d<\/p>\n Crown Prince Haakon, right, recently revealed that his wife is \u201cseriously ill\u201d and has gotten \u201ca bit worse lately.\u201d Getty Images<\/p>\n Princess Ingrid Alexandra, the eldest child of Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit, is Norway\u2019s future queen. She is second in line to the throne behind her father and is expected to one day become the country\u2019s monarch.<\/p>\n The health crisis has hit multiple generations of the royal family.<\/p>\n Haakon\u2019s mom, Queen Sonja, 88, was hospitalized with atrial fibrillation and heart failure on May 27. <\/p>\n The future queen is putting her studies on hold to spend time with her mom amid the family health crisis. Getty Images<\/p>\n The palace said she would take a week off royal duties to rest and adjust her medication. She received a pacemaker in January 2025.<\/p>\n King Harald, 89, has also faced a string of health setbacks in recent years, including leg surgery, multiple COVID-19 infections and pacemaker surgery<\/a> in 2024. <\/p>\n In February, he was hospitalized in Tenerife with an infection and dehydration while on vacation.<\/p>\n Princess Ingrid Alexandra is second in line to the Norwegian throne and is expected to one day become queen. Chris Dyson \/ BACKGRID<\/p>\n The family\u2019s latest troubles come just days after a Sydney court issued a two-year restraining order against a man accused of stalking Princess Ingrid Alexandra.<\/p>\n