Crown Prince Haakon opens up about Princess Mette-Marit’s serious illness

Crown Prince Haakon of Norway expressed his worry about his wife, the Crown Princess Mette-Marit, who has been struggling with pulmonary fibrosis, an incurable condition that causes lung tissue to scar and makes breathing increasingly difficult. Recently Crown Prince Haakon spoke to the media on 26th May and shared a heartbreaking update on the health condition of his wife. Read on to know more…


The serious illness
Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway has been facing a worsening health condition since 2018, when she was first diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, an incurable condition that causes lung tissue to scar and makes breathing increasingly difficult. Speaking to the media after presenting the Abel Prize mathematics award in Oslo, the future King shared his deep concerns about his wife's condition. “The Crown Princess is seriously ill, and I think she has gotten a bit worse lately,” Crown Prince Haakon shared. “So I am worried about her health.”

Daily reliance on oxygen
The progression of the disease has forced visible changes in the Crown Princess's day-to-day life. On April 10, Mette-Marit wore a nasal cannula in public for the first time, and the Crown Prince confirmed that she now requires it every day. “She uses oxygen in her everyday life, and that helps a bit,” Crown Prince Haakon said. Because of the ongoing toll of the illness, Mette-Marit has stepped back from her regular royal duties. Instead, she now limits her schedule to occasional appearances alongside the Norwegian royal family.

The path toward a Lung transplant
In December, the Crown Princess announced that she would eventually need a lung transplant. When asked about the timing of the major surgery, Crown Prince Haakon explained that the decision rests entirely with her medical team. It is “up to the doctors,” Haakon stated, adding, “they’re the ones who decide when it should happen, when it’s right.” However, he noted the unfortunate reality of her recent decline: “But I think she's gotten a lot worse lately, unfortunately.”

A faster progression than hoped
Mette-Marit herself recently opened up about the changing pace of her illness. Speaking to the Norwegian broadcaster NRK for their Year with the Royal Family program, she reflected on how the condition has defied their earlier expectations. "I have always hoped that we would be able to keep the disease in check with medication, and the development has actually been quite slow up until now,” the Crown Princess shared. “Whereas now the development has been faster than both I and the doctors had hoped for,” she added.