Norway’s Royal Family is facing growing concern after Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway admitted that his wife, Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway, has become “a lot worse” amid her long-running battle with a chronic lung disease.
The future Queen of Norway, who was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018, is now using supplemental oxygen daily as her condition continues to deteriorate. Speaking candidly following the Abel Prize ceremony in Oslo, Crown Prince Haakon revealed he is increasingly worried about his wife’s health.
“The Crown Princess is seriously ill, and I think she has gotten a bit worse lately. So I am worried about her health,” he told Norwegian broadcaster NRK.
The rare and emotional update marks one of the clearest public acknowledgements yet of the severity of Mette-Marit’s illness, which has progressively limited her ability to carry out royal duties.
Pulmonary fibrosis is an incurable condition that causes scarring of the lungs and increasing breathing difficulties over time. Last year, the Norwegian Palace confirmed preparations had begun for the possibility of a lung transplant, with doctors considering whether the Crown Princess should be formally placed on a transplant waiting list.
Asked about the prospect, Haakon stressed that the decision remained in the hands of medical specialists.
“It’s up to the doctors. It’s a medical question,” he said. “So they’re the ones who decide when it should happen, when it’s right. But I think she’s gotten a lot worse lately, unfortunately.”
Mette-Marit, 52, has continued to appear at selected public engagements despite her deteriorating condition. During Norway’s Constitution Day celebrations earlier this month, she was seen wearing an oxygen cannula while standing alongside senior members of the royal family, including Harald V and Sonja of Norway.
At one point during the ceremony at Skaugum, near Oslo, the Crown Princess sat on a stool to conserve energy while accompanied by her husband and their son, Prince Sverre Magnus.
The Crown Princess herself has spoken openly in recent months about the impact the illness now has on daily life.
“I live with a serious illness, and it is what characterises my everyday life now,” she said in an interview earlier this year. “It is what determines whether I can even stand in my role or not.”
The worsening health crisis comes during a difficult period for the Norwegian monarchy more broadly. Queen Sonja, 88, has also recently reduced official engagements due to heart fibrillation, forcing her to withdraw from several public appearances.
Despite the challenges, Mette-Marit has repeatedly expressed her determination to continue working whenever possible, although palace officials have acknowledged that her schedule increasingly depends on fluctuations in her condition.
Haakon previously wrote about the uncertainty surrounding his wife’s illness in an official biography published in 2023, admitting the family never knows when engagements may suddenly need to be cancelled.
“Illness is also a part of life,” he wrote, “as is addressing challenges together.”
