The Royal Family in Norway said in a statement on Friday that it has placed Crown Princess of Norway Mette-Marit on the waiting list to undergo a lung transplant after her health condition deteriorated.
The 52-year-old wife of Crown Prince Haakon, heir to the Norwegian throne, was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018, a chronic disease that causes scarring of the lungs and leads to reduced oxygen uptake.
The palace said: “As a result of life-threatening chronic lung disease and after comprehensive health examinations, Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mette-Marit has been placed on the lung transplant list.”
Oslo University Hospital said in December that the time for the transplant was approaching, but the crown prince had not yet been included on Norway’s list of potential recipients.
Crown Prince Haakon said earlier this week that Mette-Marit’s condition had deteriorated and she was struggling more to breathe.
Prime Minister Jonas Jahr Stoer praised the Crown Princess for being open about her condition, and said this could help others with similar problems.
Mette-Marit was 25, a single mother and a commoner when she met Haakon at a music festival in 1999, the beginning of an unlikely royal romance that began with fanfare and ended with a win over the bulk of the nation.