Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit underwent a successful lung transplant at Oslo University Hospital on June 17, 2026, and has begun postoperative recovery [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8].
Mette-Marit was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic lung disease that causes scarring and breathing difficulties, in 2018. Her condition had deteriorated significantly over the past six months, forcing her to scale back public appearances. Her last sighting was on May 17, 2026, when she needed a nasal oxygen tube [1, 2, 3, 9, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 8, 11].
Doctors placed her on the lung transplant waiting list on June 5, 2026, after indicating she likely had less than one or two years to live without surgery. The time from being listed to receiving the transplant was just 12 days [1, 2, 3, 9, 4, 5].
After the transplant, Mette-Marit will remain hospitalized for several weeks for observation, medication adjustment, managing complications, and rehabilitation. "We are delighted that everything has progressed well so far," said Are Holm, a lung specialist at Oslo University Hospital. "Like all newly transplanted patients, the crown princess will remain at the hospital for several weeks to come," he added [1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8].
She will require lifelong immunosuppressive medication to prevent organ rejection. Jesper Magnusson, lung transplant director at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, said, "Transplantation often significantly improves patients but is not a cure; patients must take immunosuppressive drugs for life and attend regular checkups." The one-year survival rate after lung transplant in Norway is about 85–90%, five-year survival roughly 70–75%, and about half survive 10 years post-transplant [1, 4, 5].
Her health decline also led Crown Prince Haakon to reduce or adjust his official royal duties to support his wife during recovery. The Norwegian Royal Household stated, "Prince Haakon will adjust his official schedule to spend more time with his wife during her recovery." Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said the crown princess being open about her condition could help others suffering from similar problems [1, 2, 6, 10, 8, 11].
Following the announcement of her waitlisting on June 5, the number of organ donor registrations surged 31 times above average in Norway, demonstrating heightened public awareness and support [4, 5].
Mette-Marit's adult son from a previous relationship, Marius Borg Høiby, was sentenced on June 15 to four years in prison for rape and other charges; his lawyers have indicated they will appeal [1, 6, 11].
