Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit has undergone a successful lung transplant and will remain in hospital for several weeks as she begins her recovery, doctors at Oslo University Hospital said on Wednesday.
The 52-year-old wife of Crown Prince Haakon, heir to the Norwegian throne, was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018, a chronic disease that causes scarring in the lungs and reduces oxygen uptake.
The hospital said the transplant had “so far” been successful, in a statement provided by the palace, but without specifying exactly when the procedure took place.
“Like all newly transplanted patients, the crown princess will remain at the hospital for several weeks to come,” Oslo University Hospital Professor Are Holm said.
The time would be spent adjusting medication, managing potential complications and beginning physical rehabilitation, he said.
The surgery comes at a strained time for the royal family: earlier this week, Mette-Marit’s 29-year-old son from a previous relationship, Marius Borg Hoiby, was convicted of rape and domestic violence and sentenced to four years in prison. Hoiby plans to appeal, his lawyer has said.
On June 5, Oslo University Hospital said Mette-Marit had been placed on a waiting list for a lung transplant after a sharp deterioration in her health that likely gave her only about a year to live without the surgery.