Norway’s Crown Princess placed on lung transplant wait list

Friday, 5 June 2026

Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway has been placed on a lung transplant wait list due to life-threatening progression of her chronic lung disease.

She will step back from official duties while waiting for a suitable lung donor to become available.

The family is also facing pressure from her son’s criminal case.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway has been placed on the waiting list for a lung transplant after the progression of her chronic lung disease became life-threatening.

The Norwegian Royal House confirmed on Friday that the Crown Princess had undergone extensive medical examinations before doctors decided she should be listed for a transplant.

Are Holm, a professor of medicine at the University of Oslo and senior consultant at Oslo University Hospital, said the progression of her lung disease was “serious”.

She will now wait for a suitable donor to become available.

The announcement explained that the Crown Princess will step back from official duties while she waits for surgery, with the Royal House announcing that her health situation will also require changes to the public programmes of Crown Prince Haakon and their children, Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus.

The couple have postponed celebrations for their silver wedding anniversary, which had been planned for August 2026. Mette-Marit will also miss a county visit scheduled for September.

Crown Prince Haakon will scale back his programme to spend more time with his wife, while Princess Ingrid Alexandra has returned to Norway and will study at the University of Oslo this autumn as part of her University of Sydney degree.

The health update comes during a difficult period for the family.

Mette-Marit’s eldest son, Marius Borg Høiby, who is not a member of the Royal House, is awaiting a ruling on charges including rape, assault and other offences.

Norwegian media reported Høiby was recently denied release from police custody after telling a court his mother’s chronic lung condition made prison visits difficult.

Prosecutors have sought a seven-year sentence, with a ruling expected this month.