Condition of Crown Princess Mette-Marit very serious – Princess Ingrid Alexandra returns from Australia

According to broadcaster NRK, Mette-Marit was wearing a portable oxygen device on her back as she entered the hospital. In recent weeks, the 52-year-old had been seen multiple times with such a device at public appearances. Observers interpreted the images as a clear sign of the severity of her illness.

Family Rallies Together

Crown Prince Haakon told NRK on Wednesday that the Crown Princess's health condition is serious. He emphasized the importance of bringing the family together during this time. "We are a family where everyone is important. So we draw strength from coming together," the Crown Prince explained. He shortened a trip to Japan, originally planned for four days, by one day to be with his wife.

Princess Ingrid Alexandra, who is studying social sciences in Sydney, interrupted her studies and traveled back to Norway. She had landed in Oslo on Wednesday morning – one day before her mother's hospitalization. The 22-year-old had only begun her studies in Australia last year.

Pulmonary Fibrosis: Background of the Illness

The background to the concern is Mette-Marit's serious lung disease. As was made public in 2018, the Crown Princess suffers from a rare form of pulmonary fibrosis, an incurable disease. In this condition, lung tissue becomes increasingly scarred, which increasingly restricts breathing. At the end of December, the palace announced that Mette-Marit would likely require a lung transplant in the foreseeable future.

The Crown Princess has been preparing for a possible transplant for months. According to the news agency NTB, such an operation can only be performed in Norway at Oslo University Hospital. However, donor lungs are extremely scarce. Decisions about who receives an organ and when from the waiting list are always made at very short notice.

Possible Transplantation in Oslo

King Harald, Crown Prince Haakon's father, publicly commented on his daughter-in-law's deteriorating condition last week. The substantive details of his statement were not initially made public in detail.

The illness weighs heavily on the entire family. Against the backdrop of the health crisis surrounding the Crown Princess, the family is also facing further burdens. Marius Borg Høiby, Mette-Marit's son from a previous relationship, has been facing rape charges in court for months. The verdict is expected on June 15.

Further Burdens for the Royal Family

Additionally, Mette-Marit's years-long contact with the deceased US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein continues to exert public pressure on the Crown Princess. Details about the nature and extent of this connection were not the subject of examination in the current reporting.

A second issue, independent of the illness, concerns the family around Princess Ingrid Alexandra: a 63-year-old Australian was issued a two-year restraining order by a court against the princess after he wrote her a card asking for her friendship, as reported by the Sydney Morning Herald. The man had previously met Ingrid Alexandra at an event and suggested possible dates to her in the card. He apologized to the princess through a third party, stating it was "in no way threatening." After the court hearing, he got into an argument with a photographer and was led away by the police, but was later released on bail. Additionally, he is not allowed on the grounds of the University of Sydney for two years.

The current developments surrounding the Crown Princess have triggered a broad wave of sympathy in Norway. The health of the future Norwegian queen is also being closely monitored internationally with concern. The palace has not yet commented substantively on the current hospitalization.

Should a transplant become necessary, Norwegian media estimate it could happen on short notice. NTB had stated that the allocation of donor organs always occurs with very short notice. Medical professionals generally see a transplant as the only long-term effective therapeutic option for advanced-stage pulmonary fibrosis.

Reactions and Outlook

For Princess Ingrid Alexandra, the return to Oslo means a severe personal turning point: the 22-year-old, who only began her studies in Australia about a year ago, is interrupting her education at a time when her mother is dependent on the family. Crown Prince Haakon had emphasized the importance of family cohesion in this situation in his conversation with NRK.

Meanwhile, the Norwegian public is awaiting further information from the palace. When and in what form an official statement on the Crown Princess's hospitalization will be made was not foreseeable at the time of going to press.

So far, it is only clear that the entire royal court acknowledges the seriousness of the situation. King Harald's public words, Haakon's prematurely ended trip to Japan, and his daughter's swift return from Sydney clearly demonstrate that the family has unequivocally prioritized Mette-Marit's health condition.

The coming days are considered crucial, both for the Crown Princess's medical development and for the question of how the royal family and the palace will handle the growing burden.