Mette-Marit of Norway will have to undergo a lung transplant

BarcelonaMette-Marit of Norway will undergo a lung transplant due to the pulmonary fibrosis she was diagnosed with in 2018. This Friday, the Norwegian royal house announced that the princess's health has deteriorated significantly this autumn, and doctors have already begun preparing her for the procedure. In March of this year, the royal household had already reported that the symptoms and daily discomfort she was experiencing had forced a drastic reduction in the princess's official engagements. 2025 is a complicated year for Mette-Marit, who apart from facing health problems has had to deal with the legal problems of her son Marius Borg. accused of 32 crimes, including four rapesRegarding the transplant, the princess's doctors have confirmed that there is no specific date for the operation, but that it is part of Mette-Marit's medical plan. "We are reaching the point where a lung transplant will be necessary, and we are making the necessary preparations to ensure that this is possible when the time comes," said Are Martin Holm, head of the Respiratory Medicine Department at Oslo University Hospital (Rikshospitalet), in a statement from the royal court. However, he added that no decision has yet been made on when the princess will be placed on the transplant waiting list. In a press conference following the announcement, Holm emphasized that the 52-year-old wife of Crown Prince Haakon will not be given priority over other patients. "There will be no priority. When an organ becomes available, it has a specific size and blood type. Based on this, we must see which patient on the list is the most suitable. Of those who match, we always choose the sickest, the one in the worst condition, and the one with the least ability to wait," the doctor explained. The pulmonologist, head of the Respiratory Medicine department at Norway's only hospital that performs lung transplants, noted that there are currently between 20 and 40 patients on the waiting list, but insisted that it is impossible to determine the waiting time. According to the royal household, Mette-Marit increasingly needs a specific exercise regimen, rest, and physical recovery. However, the princess wishes to continue carrying out her duties, so her schedule will be adapted to her health. "I always hoped we could control the disease with medication, and until now, the progression had been quite slow. However, lately it has been faster than both the doctors and I expected," the princess explained in a recent interview on Norwegian public television, NRK.