Crown Princess Mette-Marit awaits lung transplant while visiting son in prison

Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit, 52, suffers from irreversible lung fibrosis diagnosed in 2018 and is placed on Norway’s lung‑transplant waiting list, which currently includes eight patients. Doctors emphasise that her royal status gives no advantage; organ allocation follows medical priority, and without a transplant she may have about a year left.

Despite her deteriorating health, the princess travelled with Crown Prince Haakon to Oslo’s detention centre to see her 29‑year‑old son, Marius Borg Høiby, who is in pre‑trial custody. The visit required significant physical effort, and the prison authorities approved a limited, hourly release for the meeting after the son’s legal team requested temporary freedom. The son’s lawyer criticised the police for a lack of assistance. The episode has led to changes in the royal family’s schedule, with their daughter Ingrid Alexandra postponing a planned study in Sydney to stay in Oslo and support her mother.