The Norwegian royal household announced on Thursday that Crown Princess Mette‑Marit has undergone a successful lung transplant in Oslo.
Mette‑Marit, 52, was diagnosed with a rare form of pulmonary fibrosis in 2018 and her condition had worsened recently, prompting her team to place her on the transplant list 12 days earlier.
"We are delighted that everything has progressed well so far," said lung specialist Are Holm, who is overseeing her care. He added that the princess will remain in the hospital for several weeks for observation, a standard post‑transplant protocol.
Prince Haakon will adjust his official schedule to provide support during her recovery.
The transplant follows a difficult year for the royals, which included a January finding of the princess’s close contact with former sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the recent sentencing of her son Marius Borg Høiby to prison for rape.
Royal commentator Ole‑Jørgen Schulsrud‑Hansen described the surgery as "very happy news for the Norwegian royal family and the Kingdom of Norway." He noted that the operation had been one of the most serious obstacles removed from the princess’s health journey.
The procedure also brings the civil‑service reality of life‑saving transplants; about one in eight recipients do not survive the first year, and approximately half remain alive after a decade of immunosuppressive therapy.
For the royal family and the nation, the operation underscores the resilience of the crown princess and presents a hopeful chapter amid personal and public trials.
