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Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway's chronic pulmonary fibrosis "has progressed," the Norwegian Royal House announced on March 6. The Royal House shared an update on the Crown Princess, revealing that changes to her official schedule may happen more frequently.
"The Crown Princess has daily symptoms and ailments that affect her ability to perform her duties," the Royal House stated (translated to English). "The Crown Princess needs more rest, and her daily routine changes more quickly than before. This means that changes to her official schedule may occur more frequently, and at shorter notice than we are used to."
© Rune Hellestad/Getty ImagesThe Royal House also shared that Crown Princess Mette-Marit, 51, "has a strong desire to continue working, and therefore we will organize her official program in the future in the best possible way so that her health and work can be combined."
The update comes months after the Royal House announced in October that the Crown Princess had restarted treatment for her chronic lung disease. "Previous experience has shown that the medicines can lead to side effects that can have consequences for the Crown Princess's official programme," the Royal House said at the time (translated to English). "Therefore, we find it natural to share this information this time. We will inform you about changes to the official program if necessary."
It was revealed in 2018 that Mette-Marit had been diagnosed with a chronic pulmonary disease. In a statement back then, the Crown Princess said, "For a number of years, I have had health challenges on a regular basis, and now we know more about what is involved. The condition means that my working capacity will vary. The Crown Prince and I are choosing to make this public now partly because in future there will be a need to plan periods of time without an official programme to accommodate treatment and when the disease is more active."
© Rune Hellestad - Corbis/Getty ImagesAt the time, the Royal House shared that Her Royal Highness' lung condition had been monitored for several years and that the disease progression had been slow over that period. They also noted that the fact that the disease had been "detected at an early stage improves her prognosis."
“Even if such a diagnosis will limit my life at times, I am glad that the disease has been discovered so early," Mette Marit said in 2018. "My goal is still to work and participate in the official programme as much as possible."
© Per Ole Hagen/Getty ImagesMette-Marit is married to King Harald V and Queen Sonja's son, Crown Prince Haakon. The couple wed in 2001. She and the heir to the Norwegian throne share two kids, Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus. The Crown Princess also has a son, Marius Borg Høiby, from a previous relationship.
