Norway Crown Princess discharged from hospital after lung transplant

OSLO – Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit has been discharged from hospital as she recovers from a lung transplant in June, the royal palace said on July 14.

“The Crown Princess’ health is good under the circumstances,” Are Holm, head of the Pulmonary Department at Oslo’s Rikshospitalet, said in a statement.

Mette-Marit, 52, was diagnosed in 2018 with pulmonary fibrosis, which causes scarring of the lungs and shortness of breath. The Norwegian palace announced on June 17 that she had undergone a successful lung transplant.

“I really appreciate the care and concern I’ve received during my illness from so many people all over Norway. It has given me strength when I’ve needed it the most,” she was quoted saying in the statement.

She also thanked organ donors and the healthcare staff.

Holm said that over the next six months, she would “undergo rehabilitation and receive close follow-ups with regard to possible complications such as rejection and infections”.

“In a good course of recovery, it often takes about a year before the condition progresses into a more stable phase,” the physician said.

Crown Prince Haakon expressed his “immense relief at seeing the Crown Princess return home from the hospital”.

On July 6, the palace posted the first images of Mette-Marit after the procedure, showing her watching Norway defeat Brazil at the football World Cup.

The royal couple watched the match from the palace, but the royal household specified that Mette-Marit had not yet been discharged from hospital.

A single mother when she married Haakon in 2001, Mette-Marit’s health woes have coincided with the trial of her 29-year-old son from a previous relationship, Marius Borg Hoiby, which has damaged the monarchy’s standing in the public eye.

In June, an Oslo court sentenced Hoiby to four years in prison for two counts of rape and 32 other offences. His lawyers have appealed the verdict, according to local media. AFP