Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit, 52, has been placed on a waiting list for a lung transplant due to a rare and severe form of pulmonary fibrosis, officials said today [1, 2]. The princess was first diagnosed with the disease in 2018, which causes scarring and stiffening of the lungs, leading to breathing difficulties and diminished oxygen absorption [1, 2].
Over the past several months, her lung condition has worsened significantly, with a marked increase in scar tissue and a sharp decline in lung function, according to Professor Are Holm of Oslo University Hospital [1, 2]. "We can see that there has been a significant increase in scar tissue in her lungs over the past year - and lung function tests show that her lung function has declined considerably in the last three months alone," Holm said at a press conference [1]. He described the recent deterioration as "dangerous" and estimated that without a transplant, the princess has about one year left to live [1, 2].
Professor Holm explained that a lung transplant is a major and demanding surgery. "You have to be sick enough to need it, while at the same time healthy enough to withstand the surgery and the difficult course of treatment," he said [2]. Mette-Marit has suspended her official duties and will undergo the transplant as soon as a suitable donor lung becomes available [1].
The princess’s son, 29-year-old Marius Borg Høiby, is currently in custody awaiting a rape trial verdict. He has requested release citing his mother’s serious illness [1].
Mette-Marit’s pulmonary fibrosis diagnosis has been publicly known since 2018. In December 2025, Oslo University Hospital indicated that the timing was approaching for a possible transplant, but she had not yet been added to the waiting list at that point [2]. The rapid decline seen this year has led to her current transplant listing [1, 2].
