Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit put on waiting list for lung transplant, palace confirms

The woman destined to be Norway’s next queen has officially been put on the waiting list for a lung transplant, the Royal House announced Friday morning (6pm AEST).

Crown Princess Mette-Marit, 52, has been living with a chronic lung condition since 2018 but the disease has significantly deteriorated in recent weeks, forcing her to wear a nasal breathing tube at official engagements.

The royal will receive a donor set of lungs when the first suitable pair becomes available and will not be prioritised due to her position as a member of the monarchy.

Earlier this week, there were currently eight people waiting for a lung transplant in Norway, the country’s Organ Donation Foundation said.

The operation will have implications for the rest of Norway’s Crown Prince family including Princess Ingrid Alexandra who left Australia on Tuesday, putting her studies at Sydney University on hold. The princess had been due to sit her exams next week.

Ingrid Alexandra, who is second-in-line to the throne after her father Crown Prince Haakon, will continue her bachelor degree at the University of Oslo on exchange from Sydney University, the Royal House confirmed.

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It is expected she will remain in Norway for the foreseeable future while her mother recovers from the major surgery.

The princess will hopefully return to Australia at some point to complete her three-year degree at Sydney University, as her father said earlier this week.

Princess Ingrid Alexandra arrived in late July to begin the degree in social science, specialising in international relations and politics.

On May 17, nine.com.au was there when the princess carried out her first public appearance in Australia, attending Norway’s National Day celebrations in Sydney.

The princess left Sydney on Tuesday and was later seen being driven to the family’s private estate, Skaugum, just outside of Oslo.

Ingrid Alexandra “wanted to “be with her mother” Crown Prince Haakon told media while in Japan this week. He had cut his visit there short by one day to be with his sick wife.

“We are a family that is important to each other, so coming together and being together is something we find strength in,” he said.

The Crown Prince will reduce his own workload while Crown Princess Mette-Marit has the surgery. She faces a long recovery and will be absent from official duties indefinitely, the Royal House said.

The development comes ahead of what will be a tumultuous few weeks for Norway’s royal family.

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Along with dealing with the deterioration of the Crown Princess’ health, the royal family is also bracing for the verdict in the criminal trial of Marius Borg Høiby in just over a weeks’ time. The Crown Prince and Crown Princess, Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus, 20, were photographed visiting Høiby in prison overnight.

Høiby, 29, is Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s son from a previous relationship and he was a toddler when his mother married Norway’s Crown Prince.

The verdict in Høiby’s case will be handed down by an Oslo court on June 15 following a seven-week trial. He denies the most serious charges, which include four counts of rape and assault.

Høiby has pleaded guilty to some of the lesser offences, which include a drugs charge, traffic offences and breaching a restraining order.

Prosecutors have requested a jail term of seven years, but his legal team have called for a lesser sentence, arguing Høiby has lived under extraordinary media pressure due to his royal connections, which they said has shaped public perception of the case.

He was first arrested in August 2024 and became the first member of Norway’s royal family to be charged with a crime.

Though he’s never held a royal title or carried out official duties, Høiby was raised alongside Princess Ingrid Alexandra and the Crown Prince couple’s son Prince Sverre Magnus, 20, at the family’s home, Skaugum. He grew up as part of the royal family, attending events with the King and Queen and the Crown Prince couple over the years.

The Crown Prince briefly commented on the case when asked by reporters in Japan.

“We are prepared for it,” he said, referring to the verdict. He and the Crown Princess did not attend any of the trial and they are not expected to be there for the verdict on June 15.

But, “we also keep in touch with him” Crown Prince Haakon said. He and his family have been photographed visiting Høiby in prison several times.

Last month, Høiby pleaded with a judge to be released on bail so he could spend more time with his mother.

His legal team had requested Høiby be released to a home on the royal estate where his mother and stepfather live, with an ankle monitor to track his movements.

“I have someone in my immediate family who has an illness that makes visiting [me] in Oslo prison a bit more difficult than if I were at home,” he told the judge.

“The air quality there is… It’s an old building with a lot of mould. It would have made a big difference if we could have been somewhere else.”

The judge asked him: “Do you mean your mother?”

Høiby responded, “Yes,” but he was denied bail.

It’s unclear whether his mother’s health setback will have any impact on the verdict.