Mette-Marit of Norway
How much is her lung disease affecting her?
Five years ago, Mette-Marit was diagnosed with chronic lung disease. Since then, she has repeatedly had to cancel appointments at short notice.
© Gints Ivuskans/Shutterstock.com
Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit is expected to slow down for a while. However, her husband hopes that she will accompany him in Berlin.
She always has to take a break
In 2018, the Norwegian Court announced that Mette-Marit was suffering from pulmonary fibrosis. Since then, she has only carried out her royal duties to a limited extent. In recent years she has repeatedly had to cancel appointments or end them early. “Unfortunately, the Crown Princess had to end her visit earlier than planned due to side effects of the medication she is taking for her pulmonary fibrosis,” the palace said in September 2022, for example, after she canceled a visit to the Red Cross women’s center “Stella”. . But it’s not just the medication that’s likely to be troubling Mette-Marit. A whole range of symptoms can occur with chronic lung disease, ranging from fatigue to joint problems and shortness of breath. The royal family and Crown Prince Haakon have often emphasized that the princess is “periodically bad” because of this.
“But she also has good days and can still do a lot.”
Haakon drew attention to this again in an interview with the “Bild” newspaper. The lung disease affects her “of course”. “But she also has good days and can still do a lot.” He hopes that she will be back on her feet soon. He just had to do without Mette-Marit on a three-day tour through the Norwegian province of Vestland – again. He also had to complete an appointment alone at the end of August. “Unfortunately, the Crown Princess was unable to visit Træna,” the palace announced.
A visit to Germany is scheduled for the beginning of November. The Norwegian court had already announced on September 22nd that Mette-Marit was not scheduled for all three days. Accordingly, Haakon will first visit Hamburg and Munich alone and his wife will not join him in Berlin until November 9th. The Crown Prince explained to Bild what was behind this plan: “She has to make sure that she doesn’t put too much strain on herself in terms of her health. That’s why we decided on Berlin. I will attend the appointments in Hamburg and Munich alone.”
Will she be fit again by November?
Given the recent health updates, it remains to be seen whether this will actually work. It wasn’t until mid-September that Mette-Marit had to cancel her trip to the 50th anniversary of the throne in Sweden and appointments in her homeland because of her sick leave. The court had also emphasized that the Crown Princess’s original two-week sick leave could “be extended.” In fact, the 50-year-old doesn’t seem to be feeling well again. Guri Varpe, head of the communications department at the royal palace, told the Norwegian daily Dagbladet a few days ago: “The Crown Princess will continue to have a reduced activity and has no official program planned for this week or the autumn holidays.” The holidays in Oslo end on October 9th. Will she be able to take appointments again afterwards? That is probably uncertain at the moment.
Haakon has to take on more and more appointments
For years, the royal family has had difficulty planning with Mette-Marit because of her unpredictable lung disease – and there is no improvement in sight. Because fibrosis cannot be cured. And as is currently shown, their outages are not just limited to a few days, but can also extend over a longer period of time. This is likely to be an increasing challenge, especially for the Crown Prince. After all, he is particularly challenged: he has to travel alone – and at the same time worry about the mother of his two children. In addition, Haakon not only has to step in for Mette-Marit, but increasingly also for his father. Because King Harald V. (86) is also in poor health. Nevertheless, Haakon was confident to “Bild”. Looking back on his and Mette-Marit’s 50th birthday in the summer, he said: “It gave us the opportunity to reflect a little on our own lives. But it also gives us the opportunity to look forward and make further plans for the future forge.”