Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit saw her health decline steeply in the past year. She was diagnosed with chronic pulmonary fibrosis in 2018, and she began to do fewer and fewer public appearances last year. In her handful of appearances last month, she could barely stand for more than a minute, and she was constantly accompanied by an oxygen tank, with a nasal cannula. Her husband, Crown Prince Haakon, spoke out last month, saying that he believed her health had “gotten a bit worse lately,” a classic Nordic understatement. Two weeks ago, Mette-Marit was finally added to Norway’s transplant list, and she apparently received her lung transplant just two days after her son Marius Borg Hoiby was convicted of 34 offenses and sentenced to four years in prison.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway has undergone a “successful” lung transplant, news announced two days after her son Marius Borg Høiby was found guilty of two counts of rape. On June 17, the Royal House of Norway announced that the Crown Princess, 52, had undergone surgery.
“Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mette-Marit has undergone a successful lung transplant at Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet in Oslo,” began the palace statement issued on Tuesday.
Arnt Fiane, Professor of Medicine at University of Oslo, cardiothoracic surgeon and Head of the Heart and Lung Transplant Programme at Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, said the procedure “has been successful thus far” and expressed his appreciation to the teams behind the scenes of the surgery.
“We are delighted that everything has progressed well so far. In accordance with standard practice for all recent transplant recipients, Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess will remain admitted to Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet for several weeks to come,” added Are Holm, Professor of Medicine at the University of Oslo and Senior Consultant and respiratory specialist at Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet. The hospital stay was described as “routine procedure to adjust medication, manage any potential complications and undertake rehabilitation.”
The Royal House of Norway added that Mette-Marit’s husband, Crown Prince Haakon, will shift his schedule to support his wife during this time. The next update is not expected until Crown Princess Mette-Marit is discharged from the hospital, and the palace said the royal couple wished to express their gratitude for the well-wishes they received during this “challenging time.”
Less than two weeks ago, the palace announced that Mette-Maritm who was diagnosed with chronic pulmonary fibrosis in 2018, was placed on a lung transplant waiting list and would be canceling future outings.
I wish her well. Transplants are no joke, and I would imagine that stress exacerbated Mette-Marit’s condition terribly. She’s still under a lot of stress too – her story about her relationship with Jeffrey Epstein has changed a half-dozen times, and her son was *just* convicted of very serious offenses and sentenced to four years in prison. I don’t know the state of Norway’s prisons, but it will likely be many months before she can see Marius in person. As for Haakon’s support… everyone says that he really loves her and that their marriage is pretty solid, despite everything. I actually think I sort of understand their dynamic, but I’ll just leave it at that.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.
