At 52, Princess Mette-Marit of Norway underwent a lung transplant at Rikshospitalet in Oslo on 17 June 2026. The hospital’s heart-and-lung transplant service performed the operation, which was described as successful. Arnt Fiane, head of thoracic surgery at Rikshospitalet, said the transplant had “so far been successful.” After postoperative monitoring and rehabilitation, she was discharged on 14 July and has continued to recover.
The royal household made Mette-Marit’s pulmonary-fibrosis diagnosis public in October 2018. The chronic disease causes progressive scarring of lung tissue and can impair breathing. Her condition deteriorated substantially during 2025 and 2026. After doctors determined the illness had become life-threatening, they added her to Norway’s transplant waiting list. The operation followed 12 days later.
At Norway’s annual dinner for members of the Storting, King Haakon said Mette-Marit would have liked to attend but needed to convalesce after the summer operation. He called the first year after such an extensive procedure “quite fragile” and said she had faced difficulties in the preceding weeks. Her recovery is expected to include continued rehabilitation and medication management, with close monitoring for complications.
Mette-Marit’s health crisis has changed the family’s arrangements. Her daughter, Princess Ingrid, returned from Sydney to continue her studies closer to home. Crown Prince Haakon scaled back his official duties, shortening a trip to Japan and canceling planned events, to remain by his wife’s side. The royal family said the changes were temporary and intended to support her recovery.
The family is also dealing with legal proceedings involving Mette-Marit’s eldest son, Marius Borg Høiby. He was convicted on several counts, including two counts of rape and abuse, and sentenced to prison. His first-instance judgment remains under appeal. Borgarting Court of Appeal has scheduled proceedings to begin on 9 February 2027, with 16 hearing days allocated through 5 March. Prosecutors have appealed the sentence, arguing it is too lenient. Høiby was allowed to visit his mother in hospital under strict conditions. The court rejected requests for house arrest, citing concerns unrelated to her illness.
The family also faces ongoing health problems affecting King Harald and Queen Sonja. Princess Märtha Louise remains apart from official duties. Earlier this year, Mette-Marit’s connection to Jeffrey Epstein came to light after hundreds of messages they had exchanged were published. The princess publicly apologized for the connection, saying some messages did not reflect her values.
News that Mette-Marit had been placed on the transplant waiting list prompted a sharp rise in organ donor registrations in Norway. Dagbladet reported that nearly 13,000 people registered in June, 180 times the number in the previous month. Pulmonary fibrosis can seriously impair breathing and, in advanced cases, lead to life-threatening respiratory failure. Mette-Marit’s transplant and ongoing convalescence have affected the royal family’s public duties and private life.
