Crown Princess Mette-Marit's former farmhouse where she will recover from lung transplant

Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway will undergo a lung transplant after a deterioration in her health, as the Norwegian royal family confirmed on Friday, 19 December. Since her diagnosis with chronic pulmonary fibrosis in 2018, she has had to reduce the number of engagements she undertakes.

Though it is not yet known when her surgery will take place, she will likely spend some time at her luxurious royal residence afterwards, during her recovery period.

Where does Crown Princess Mette-Marit live?

The official residence of Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway is the Skaugum Estate, a farmhouse that lies just outside of Oslo, the capital of the country.

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It is located in Asker, which is just 19 kilometres southwest of Oslo, at the foot of the mountain Skaugumsåsen. There are 48 hectares of agricultural lands and 50 hectares of woodlands on the estate.

Skaugum was originally an L-shaped farmhouse, with the main house sitting on a raised plot of land. It was renovated into a Swiss chalet-style residence, but after it was destroyed in 1930, the architect Arnstein Arnenberg tried to restore it as much as possible to its original design, using the original foundations and cellars while trying to maintain the original dimensions for all the rooms.

What is the history of Crown Princess Mette-Marit's home?

Skaugum has an extensive history: it was a farmhouse, dating back to the Middle Ages, belonging to the Church until it was bought in 1909, later being sold to Crown Prince Olav and Crown Princess Märtha, when they married in 1929. 

In 1930, the residence burned to the ground and was rebuilt by Arnenberg. Seven years later, Prince Harald, now King Harald V, was born there. It was given to him as a wedding gift in 1968 when he married the now-Queen Sonja of Norway.

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He then gave the estate as a gift to his own son, Crown Prince Haakon, when he married Mette-Marit in 2001.

Unlike other Norwegian royal residences, it is owned by the royal family privately, and so it is not open for the public to visit.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit's illness

Though the 52-year-old was diagnosed with chronic pulmonary fibrosis in 2018, she has been continuing to take part in royal engagements to the best of her ability. She took a month away from duties in October for rehabilitation, but the palace announced this week that her condition has worsened.

Their statement read: "During the autumn, a number of tests have been carried out that show a clear worsening of the Crown Princess' health. The physicians at Rikshospitalet University Hospital have therefore started the process towards an evaluation for potential lung transplant surgery."

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Are Martin Holm, Professor and Head of the Department of Respiratory Medicine at Rikshospitalet University Hospital, added: "We are reaching the point where a lung transplant will be necessary, and we are undertaking the necessary preparations to ensure that this will be possible when the time comes. At present, no decision has been taken as to when the Crown Princess will be placed on the lung transplant waiting list."

What is pulmonary fibrosis?

According to the NHS: "Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a condition in which the lungs become scarred and breathing becomes increasingly difficult. It's not clear what causes it, but it usually affects people who are around 70 to 75 years old, and is rare in people under 50.

"Several treatments can help reduce the rate at which IPF gets worse, but there's currently no treatment that can stop or reverse the scarring of the lungs."