Norway's Crown Prince rushes home after wife Mette-Marit's health update

Norway's Crown Prince Haakon has been forced to shorten an official visit to Japan over growing concerns about the health of his wife, Crown Princess Mette-Marit.

The Norwegian Royal House confirmed the future king will return home a day earlier than planned due to the Crown Princess' chronic lung condition that limits her ability to breathe.

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is shortening his official trip to Japan by one day due to the health situation of Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess," the palace said in a statement.

The heir to the Norwegian throne will continue with engagements in Tokyo from June 1 to June 3, including meetings with Japanese officials, but a scheduled visit to the port city of Hachinohe on June 4 has been cancelled.

The news comes just days after Prince Haakin revealed he was "worried" about his wife's health, less than a week after his mother, Queen Sonja, was diagnosed with heart failure.

"The Crown Princess is seriously ill and I think she has gotten a little worse lately, so I am worried about her health," Prince Haakon told Norwegian media earlier this week.

Mette-Marit, 52, was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018, a chronic lung disease that causes scarring and makes breathing difficult.

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Last year, she underwent lung rehabilitation, which temporarily helped, but in December, the Royal House announced the Crown Princess' condition had deteriorated.

Her medical team confirmed she would be assessed for a possible lung transplant in the future. Mette-Marit's doctors insisted she would not jump the transplant waitlist owing to her place in the royal family.

The Crown Princess has since relied on oxygen and has scaled back public duties, recently being seen using a nasal breathing tube connected to an oxygen tank. 

In March, the Crown Princess gave an interview to Norway's national broadcaster NRK, which had to be limited to 20 minutes because she could not speak for extended periods.

"I live with a serious illness and it is what characterises my everyday life now," Mette-Marit said.

"It is what determines whether I can even stand in my role or not.

"I have great faith in the importance of the monarchy in Norway. And I have great faith that trust is one of the finest values ​​of our society. And I really hope that over time this does not weaken trust in the institution. That would be very sad for me."

The latest health setback comes at an incredibly difficult time for Norway's royal family.

Queen Sonja, 88, was briefly hospitalised with heart failure this month before being discharged and returning home to recover. The Queen was fitted with a pacemaker in early 2025 after being diagnosed with heart fibrillation following a ski trip.

Meanwhile, her husband, King Harald, who has been on Norway's throne for 35 years and is Europe's oldest-serving monarch, had a pacemaker fitted in 2024 after falling ill while on holiday in Malaysia. In February, he was hospitalised for an infection during a holiday to Tenerife.

The Norwegian court has also been plagued with controversy. 

The Crown Princess' past friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was revealed earlier this year, dominating headlines. 

Meanwhile, her eldest son, Marius Borg Høiby, is awaiting the verdict of a criminal trial and could face seven years in prison after he was charged with rape and assault.