Royal Court confirms Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway on sick leave amid battle with chronic disease
Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway is on sick leave amid her battle with chronic lung disease, the Royal Court has confirmed.
In a statement shared with People, the Royal Court said Mette-Marit is stepping away from her royal duties temporarily "due to side effects of the medication that Her Royal Highness is using for her chronic lung disease".
"She is on sick leave, initially for a week," the statement said, noting her official duties while she's out sick will be either postponed or cancelled altogether.
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Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit, pictured here in August with Crown Prince Haakon, is on sick leave. AP
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Mette-Marit and her husband were in Germany briefly this week, along with Queen Mary and King Frederik of Denmark, and Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel to celebrate 25 years of the Nordic embassy in Berlin.
The Crown Princess's time away comes more than a week after it was first reported that Mette-Marit had begun immediate treatment for the chronic condition, which she has been grappling with since 2018.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit, far right, was in Berlin on Monday. Getty
"Previous experience has shown that the medicines can lead to side effects that can have consequences for the Crown Princess' official programme," a statement from the Royal Court, which had been translated into English, read at the time.
"Therefore, we find it natural to share this information this time. We will inform you about changes to the official program if necessary."
Chronic pulmonary disease – a common lung disease – causes the tissue of the lungs to become damaged and can lead to breathing problems.
The disease is incurable, and worsens over time.
As Mette-Marit, 51, explained in 2018: "For a number of years, I have had health challenges on a regular basis, and now we know more about what is involved. The condition means that my working capacity will vary."
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The royal couple, pictured here in September, have been embroiled in controversy this year due to their family members' behaviour. Getty
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"The Crown Prince and I are choosing to make this public now partly because in future there will be a need to plan periods of time without an official programme to accommodate treatment and when the disease is more active," she said.
Mette-Marit married Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway, in 2001.
She was already a mother to now-27-year-old son Marius Borg Høiby from a previous relationship, and went on to welcome Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, 20, and Prince Sverre Magnus of Norway, 18, with the Crown Prince.
Marius Borg Høiby has spent 2024 embroiled in controversy, as has spent 2024 embroiled in controversy.
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