Crown Princess Mette‑Marit of Norway Placed on Lung‑Transplant Waiting List

Norway’s Crown Princess Mette‑Marit, 52, suffering from severe pulmonary fibrosis, was admitted to the University Hospital in Oslo and placed on the national waiting list for a lung transplant. She was seen at the clinic accompanied by her daughter Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Crown Prince Haakon, who cancelled a planned trip to Japan because of her condition.

Norwegian doctors clarified that royal status does not grant any priority. As senior transplant surgeon Are Martin Holm explained, organs are allocated based on size, blood‑type compatibility and medical urgency, with the patient closest to death receiving the organ first. Currently eight patients are on Norway’s lung‑transplant list, and the Oslo centre performed about 30 lung transplants last year, often using organs sourced through the Nordic Scandiatransplant network. The royal family expressed concern but confirmed that the princess will follow the same protocol as any other patient.