Queen Sonja has spoken publicly for the first time about Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s lung transplant.
The princess had been placed on the lung transplant waiting list, something usually exclusive only to patients “that only has one year left to live,” a specialist revealed during a press conference earlier this month.
Mette-Marit underwent a successful lung transplant last week, resulting in the Queen, for the first time, speaking openly about her daughter-in-law’s illness.
The Norwegian monarch described the successful procedure as “fantastic” while attending an art exhibition opening in Kristiansand.
Speaking to the Faedrelandsvennnen newspaper after inaugurating a show featuring 77 works at the Bi-Z Gallery, Queen Sonja said: “It’s simply fantastic. It’s fantastic that it went so well.”
The transplant was essential to save the Crown Princess’s life after her pulmonary fibrosis deteriorated significantly in recent months.
Prince Haakon’s wife had become increasingly dependent on supplemental oxygen as her condition worsened.
Queen Sonja has spoken publicly for the first time about Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s lung transplant
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GETTY
The respiratory illness had also forced her to dramatically scale back her public engagements.
Some fans noted that Mette-Marit appeared visibly fatigued during the official appearances she did manage to attend.
Her declining health had been a source of growing concern throughout 2026, a year that has proved exceptionally challenging for the Norwegian royal household on multiple fronts.
The Crown Princess’s operation came at a particularly turbulent moment for the family, coinciding almost precisely with the sentencing of her son Marius Borg.
Princess Mette-Marit received her pulmonary fibrosis diagnosis in 2018 | GETTY
The court handed Borg a four-year prison term after finding him guilty on 34 of the 40 charges he faced.
His convictions included two counts of rape, domestic abuse, physical assault, harassment, recording without consent, and drug offences.
Additional charges related to breaching restraining orders and making threats were also among those proven against him.
The simultaneous crises of Mette-Marit’s health emergency and her eldest child’s criminal proceedings have placed the Norwegian monarchy under considerable strain this year.
Despite these profound challenges, the Royal Family has rallied around the Crown Princess with steadfast loyalty.
Prince Haakon has stepped back from some of his official responsibilities to focus on caring for his wife during her recovery.
Their daughter Princess Alexandra made the decision to leave the University of Sydney and enrol at the University of Oslo, prioritising proximity to her mother.
Prince Sverre has also been at his mother’s bedside, along with Queen Sonja herself.
Even Marius Borg managed to visit, slipping into the hospital through a rear entrance to avoid photographers and maintain privacy during the sensitive period.