Crown princess’ family visit her in hospital after successful lung transplant

Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s husband and children, including her son who was recently jailed, have visited the hospital where she is recovering from a lung transplant.

Confirmation of the 52-year-old’s surgery came from the Royal House on Wednesday, just 12 days after she had been put on the waiting list.

Mette-Marit, who will be Norway’s next queen when her husband Crown Prince Haakon ascends the throne, had been fighting pulmonary fibrosis since 2018, a condition that causes scarring in the lungs and makes breathing extremely difficult.

The royal’s doctors had previously said a lung transplant was the only treatment left to save her life.

She had been wearing a nasal breathing tube at public engagements after her health significantly deteriorated in recent months.

“The lung transplant has so far been successful,” Arnt Fiane, the head of the thoracic surgery department at the Rikshospitalet (National Hospital) said.

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“We are very happy that everything has gone well so far,” Are Holm, the head of the hospital’s pulmonary department added.

“Like all other newly transplanted patients, the crown princess will be admitted to Rikshospitalet for several weeks to come. This is a standard routine to adjust medications, handle any complications and engage in rehabilitation.”

The exact date of the princess’ surgery has not been revealed by the Royal House due to Norway’s strict laws preventing the possible identification of the donor.

But the surgery came as Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s son Marius Borg Høiby was convicted of raping two women and jailed for four years on Monday.

Høiby was granted special release to visit his mother inside Oslo’s National Hospital before and after the surgery, according to Norwegian media outlet SE og HØR.

The 29-year-old was escorted by police as he was taken through the hospital’s back entrance to avoid being photographed.

Høiby had been let out of Ila Prison to see his mother several times since he was moved to the maximum security facility on Friday, the publication reported.

His visits were carried out in secrecy to avoid detection.

Before the verdict in Høiby’s criminal trial was handed down on June 15, he had pleaded with Oslo’s District Court to be released to the family’s home, Skaugum, with an ankle monitor so he could be with his mother. He was granted bail, but the decision was immediately appealed and later denied.

Following his sentencing on Monday, Høiby’s lawyers once again asked for him to be released so he could be with Mette-Marit, but his bid was rejected.

Høiby was convicted of raping two women but acquitted of two other rapes. He was also convicted of abusing an ex-girlfriend and of causing serious bodily harm to another partner, along with drugs and traffic offences.

His lawyers have since appealed the verdict, which means the case will be retried again, in full, likely later this year or early next.

Høiby was four years old when his mother married into Norway’s royal family in 2001. Though he’s never held a royal title or carried out official duties, Høiby was raised alongside the crown prince couple’s two other children but stepped back from public life in 2017 after struggling with his mental health and addiction.

Crown Prince Haakon was seen at the National Hospital this week visiting his wife along with Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 22, and Prince Sverre Magnus, 20.

Mette-Marit will remain in hospital for the coming weeks, doctors said.

“This is a standard routine to adjust medications, handle any complications and engage in rehabilitation,” Holm said.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit was put on Norway’s transplant waiting list on June 5 and many have been surprised by how quickly she was able to have the surgery.

In response, Norway’s Organ Donation Foundation said a donor who was a good match for the crown princess “both medically and practically” had become available. The donor pair had to match the princess’ blood type and physical size.

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Last month just eight other donors were on the list and doctors had warned the crown princess the surgery could happen in days.

The waiting list is not a queue; rather patients are assessed depending on how sick they are, their general health and the type of donor lungs that become available.

The Royal House previously said Mette-Marit would not be prioritised due to her position as a member of the monarchy. In December, when the palace first announced the royal would potentially need a transplant, the number of organ donations across Norway increased.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s surgery took between three to five hours, doctors said.

The Royal House is expected to give a further update on her condition when she is discharged.

News of the royal’s operation has made headlines around the world and on Wednesday afternoon Denmark’s Queen Mary commented briefly on the situation.

“I understand that the surgery went well and I’m really happy to hear that,” Queen Mary told Danish media as she arrived for a women’s health event at the University of Copenhagen.

“Our warmest thoughts are with the crown princess and the entire family.”

Sweden’s Royal House said in a statement: “The royal family has received the good news that the Crown Princess of Norway has undergone a lung transplant and that everything appears to have gone well. The royal family sends its best wishes for a speedy and good recovery.”

The Norwegian, Danish and Swedish royal families share a close bond after the three countries were once united under the same monarch, called the Kalmar Union, hundreds of years ago.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s surgery will have implications for Norway’s Royal House in the coming days and months.

Crown Prince Haakon will step back from some public duties to help his wife in her recovery. Already the 52-year-old has cancelled a number of engagements, and deputised others, including a counsellor of state meeting earlier this week at the Royal Palace.

Princess Ingrid Alexandra is expected to increase her public role after she returned to Norway from Australia. The princess, who is second-in-line to the throne, left Sydney on June 2 to be with her mother.

She had moved to Australia in July last year to begin a three-year degree at Sydney University. But the princess has since transferred to the University of Oslo where she will continue her studies on exchange.

Her brother Prince Sverre Magnus might also be called upon to carry out official duties.