Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit has been placed on a waiting list for a lung transplant after a further deterioration of her health, the royal household said in a statement on Friday.
The 52-year-old wife of Crown Prince Haakon, the heir to the Norwegian throne, was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018, a chronic disease that causes scarring in the lungs and leads to a reduced oxygen uptake.
According to Reuters, Oslo University Hospital in December said the time was approaching when a transplant must be performed but that the crown princess had not yet been placed on Norway's list of possible recipients.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere has praised the crown princess for being open about her condition and has said this could help others suffering from similar problems.
The development of Mette-Marit's lung disease was serious, and she will undergo a transplant "as soon as possible," Oslo University Hospital Professor Are Holm said in a statement provided by the palace.
The crown prince and princess are postponing the celebration of their 25th wedding anniversary, which was planned for August this year, the palace added.
Mette-Marit was 25, an unmarried single mother and a commoner when she met Haakon at a music festival in 1999, the beginning of an unlikely royal romance that started with a media furor and ended up winning over the bulk of the nation.
