Good news for the Norwegian royal family: Crown Princess Mette-Marit has left the hospital after her lung transplant – and her son Marius Borg Høiby is also allowed to go home from prison.
July 14, 2026, 12:12 p.mJuly 14, 2026, 1:45 p.m
The royal family announced on Tuesday that 52-year-old Mette-Marit’s health was good given the circumstances – around four weeks after the operation. Shortly afterwards, the public prosecutor gave up resistance to house arrest with an electronic ankle bracelet for her eldest son.
Mette-Marit at a performance in April.Image: keystone
Crown Prince Haakon was relieved about his wife’s health progress. He knows that recovery will take a long time, but it is a very good feeling to have come this far, he explained.
The head of the pulmonary department at Rikshospitalet, Are Holm, said Mette-Marit will undergo training over the next six months and will be closely monitored in order to identify possible complications such as rejection reactions and infections early. Normally it often takes around a year for the condition to stabilize. According to the royal family, Mette-Marit should not attend any official appointments during the rehabilitation period.
Thanks to doctors and fellow sufferers
She was diagnosed with incurable pulmonary fibrosis in 2018. This causes scars to form in the lung tissue, which can cause shortness of breath, shortness of breath and coughing. Mette-Marit continued to attend appointments after the diagnosis. But over the past six months she has been getting worse and worse. On Norway’s national day in May, she waved to the people in traditional costume and with an oxygen machine. She received a donor lung in June – shortly after being placed on the waiting list for such an organ.
Mette-Marit thanked her doctors, the hospital staff and all the people who supported her; but especially those who decide to donate organs. “This has given me the gift of life, and words are not enough to express how grateful and humble I am for it,” explained the Princess. She also thinks of her fellow sufferers who gave her great support. “Living with fibrosis is not for the faint of heart, and I think about how strong you are every day,” she emphasized.
Reunion with the eldest
At home, Mette-Marit will see her son Marius Borg Høiby again, who was convicted of rape under Norwegian law. The 29-year-old was sentenced to four years in prison in June – shortly before his mother’s operation. The verdict is not yet final. A court in Oslo ruled on Monday that Høiby’s pre-trial detention would be extended by four weeks, but he could spend it in house arrest with an electronic ankle bracelet. Because the public prosecutor’s office had raised an objection in the meantime, Høiby was not released immediately.
Høiby has appealed against the prison sentence. A possible appeal process could take place next year. It is unclear whether the Norwegian will remain under house arrest until then. (dab/sda/dpa)