Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit Undergoes Successful Lung Transplant

Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit, the wife of Crown Prince Haakon, has undergone a successful lung transplant and is recovering, the royal court said in a formal statement on Wednesday. She is 52.

Mette-Marit was diagnosed in 2018 with pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic disease that scars the lungs and reduces oxygen absorption. Earlier this month, Oslo University Hospital said her condition had worsened significantly and that she had been placed on the lung transplant waiting list.

The seriousness of her situation was underscored by earlier assessments that, without the operation, she may have had about one year left to live. The palace said she is now recovering in hospital.

Professor Arne Holm of Oslo University Hospital said in a statement on behalf of the palace that, like all new transplant patients, the crown princess will remain in hospital for several weeks. In December, Haakon said the family had noticed a change in her condition and that she was finding it harder to breathe.