Queen Mette-Marit, 53, underwent a successful lung transplant for a "life-threatening" lung condition earlier this year, but only now, fresh details of her surgery have come to light. A new book has included potentially law-breaking and unethical information pertaining to her transplant.
Eventyrnettene is an account of the Norwegian national football team's experience during the last World Cup, where they reached the quarter-finals, but in the publication, there are details that could potentially disclose the identity of the royal's lung donor.
© Lise Åserud / NTB / AFP via Getty ImagesAuthor Alfred Fidjestøl wrote: "The 89-year-old king had experienced an intense couple of days. The Monday before the match against Iraq, Marius had been sentenced to four years in prison for sexual offences. During the match itself, his daughter-in-law had been transplanted with two new lungs from a donor who had died suddenly in an accident somewhere in the Nordic region."
Before this, it was not public knowledge about the exact time of the surgery, nor the details around the donation. Queen Mette-Marit’s primary physician at Rikshospitalet, head of pulmonology, Are Martin Holm, has condemned the confidentiality breach.
The author has since admitted his mistake, stating he was not actually certain about the exact timing of the procedure. "It is poorly phrased. I should have written that Mette-Marit had recently undergone surgery, not that the operation took place on the exact day Norway played Iraq. I know nothing about that," Fidjestøl told Dagbladet.
© NTB/AFP via Getty ImagesOn 17 June, the Norwegian palace announced: "Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mette-Marit has undergone a successful lung transplant at Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet in Oslo." Also adding: "We are delighted that everything has progressed well so far. In accordance with standard practice for all recent transplant recipients, Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess will remain admitted to Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet for several weeks to come."
Why did Queen Mette-Marit need a lung transplant?
© Getty ImagesThe royal was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018, which is an incurable condition where lung tissue becomes scarred and stiff, making it harder to breathe. Initially, her condition was managed with medication and lifestyle adjustments. But eventually, a lung transplant was required as lung disease took hold, causing severe shortness of breath, fatigue, and diminishing lung capacity.
Since the royal's lung transplant, her father-in-law, King Harald V of Norway, has passed away. He died on 28 August, following his admission to hospital with an infection. The family gathered together to mourn the monarch on 9 September in a state funeral. The ceremony was attended by disgraced Marius Borg Høiby, despite him being on house arrest.
