Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit Waits for Lung Transplant

Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit has been placed on the national waiting list for a lung transplant after her pulmonary fibrosis, diagnosed in 2018, rapidly progressed. Doctors say the scar tissue in her lungs has increased markedly in the past year and lung function has deteriorated sharply over the last three months, estimating she has about a year left without a transplant.

To qualify, patients must still be medically fit enough to survive the operation and recovery, and the princess will be treated like any other candidate. The royal family has adjusted its schedule: Prince Haakon halted a work trip to Japan to be with his wife, and their daughter, Princess Ingrid Aleksandra, returned from Australia to Norway. The family also faces ongoing legal and reputational issues, including past contacts with Jeffrey Epstein and a criminal case involving the princess’s son.

The princess’s condition highlights the seriousness of end‑stage lung disease and the limited availability of donor organs in Norway.