Norway’s crown princess has been placed on a waiting list for a lung transplant because of a “life-threatening” disease, the country’s royal house said Friday. The announcement compounded an intense period of crisis for the royal family.
The princess, Mette-Marit, will be stepping away from her official royal duties as she awaits the operation, the Royal House of Norway said in a news release. The 52-year-old princess received a diagnosis in 2018 of pulmonary fibrosis, a disease that causes scar tissue to build up in the lungs and makes it difficult to breathe.
Dr. Are Martin Holm, a respiratory specialist at Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, who is overseeing the princess’s care, said in the news release that the progression of her lung disease was “serious.” After a medical assessment, she was placed on the waiting list for patients who will undergo a lung transplant “as soon as a suitable donor becomes available,” he said.
The announcement about the crown princess’s health comes during a turbulent time for the royal family. Royal historians have described the current period as the worst crisis the royal family has suffered since the dynasty was established in 1905.
In February, a tranche of documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice showed close ties between the princess and the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which led her to issue an apology. Her son Marius Borg Hoiby, 29, is on trial on 38 counts, including four counts of rape and six of filming people without their consent.
At a news conference on Friday, the medical professionals responsible for the princess’s operation and the organ waiting list described the gravity of her condition, which they said required a double lung transplant.
They said people are generally placed on the list only once they become so sick that doctors have reason to believe the patient has only one year to live. The princess’s condition has worsened significantly in recent months, the doctors said.
She would not, however, receive special treatment when it came to a transplant, they said.
“We always prioritize the patient who is the sickest, the one who does not have time to wait,” Dr. Holm said.
Eight people in Norway are currently on the list for a double lung transplant, according to the Norwegian Foundation for Organ Donation, a nonprofit that tracks transplants in the country. The chances of survival for patients who have undergone similar transplants were roughly 90 percent after the first year, and 50 percent after 10 years, according to the doctors overseeing the princess’s care.
The princess’s medical condition has affected the royal family. Crown Prince Haakon, Mette-Marit’s husband, cut short an official visit to Japan this week to return to Norway. The prince, 52, will also reduce his travel schedule before and after the operation to spend more time with his wife, the country’s royal house said.
Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 22, who was studying at the University of Sydney, returned to Norway and will spend the fall semester as an exchange student at the University of Oslo, the royal house said. Her brother, Prince Sverre Magnus, 20, will study in Europe this fall and “will return to Norway whenever the situation requires,” the royal house said.
Separately, on Wednesday, a court ruled that Mr. Borg Hoiby, who is the princess’s son from a previous relationship, would not be released from prison as he awaits a verdict in his trial, which is expected on June 15.
Jonathan Wolfe is a Times reporter based in London, covering breaking news.
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