The health conditions of Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby, Crown Princess of Norway, suffering from an incurable lung disease, have worsened. The 52-year-old, as confirmed in a note from the royal palace, has been placed on the waiting list for a lung transplant.
Mette-Marit’s condition
The future Norwegian queen’s ordeal began in 2018, when she was diagnosed with a rare form of pulmonary fibrosis, a disease that causes breathing difficulties and forced her to reduce her official commitments. As explained by Professor Are Holm, pulmonologist at the Oslo National Hospital (Rikshospitalet), quoted in the official press release, her situation has recently worsened: “The Crown Princess’s lung condition is seriously worsening. Following a comprehensive medical evaluation, she has been included in the list of those who will undergo a lung transplant as soon as possible.”
The party for the 25th anniversary of marriage has been postponed
While awaiting surgery, the crown princess will not be able to carry out her official duties and her health condition will impact the schedule of the crown prince and the entire family, the royal palace said. The celebration of the couple’s twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, scheduled for August 2026, will therefore be postponed, and the spouses will not participate in the Swedish royal couple’s fiftieth wedding anniversary celebrations, scheduled in Stockholm on June 13.
The affection of the family
The princess’s husband, Crown Prince Haakon, who was on an official visit to Japan from June 1 to 3, cut his trip short by a day to be by her side. Their daughter, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, interrupted her social science studies at Sydney University to join her mother in Norway and plans to stay in Oslo through the autumn. During recent public appearances, the Princess has worn a breathing device, consisting of nasal cannulae connected to an oxygen machine. In addition to health problems, Mette-Marit has been going through a difficult period in recent months.
The Epstein case and his son’s scandal
The release of documents in the United States in late January revealed her extensive and sometimes intimate correspondence with sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein between 2011 and 2014. She also had to deal with the legal problems of her son, Marius Borg Høiby. Born from a relationship prior to his marriage to Haakon in 2001, Høiby was tried in early 2026 for rape and repeated violence against a former partner, accusations that the young man has always denied. The sentence is expected on June 15 but Høiby, through his lawyer Petar Sekulic, asked to be released before the verdict due to his mother’s health condition.