Norway's royal house confirmed on Thursday, June 18, that Crown Princess Mette-Marit had undergone a lung transplant, a major and necessary procedure to keep her alive as her chronic pulmonary fibrosis continued to worsen. The surgery was a success, and while she remains hospitalized, her recovery is reportedly going very well. Prince Haakon was photographed on a night out with friends.
© Getty ImagesPrince Haakon's night out while his wife stays in the hospital
The princess is doing well enough that her husband allowed himself a break, stepping out for a guys' night with friends at a restaurant known for its live jazz performances. Since news of the surgery broke, Crown Prince Haakon has barely left his wife's bedside, clearing much of his schedule to stay by her through this delicate recovery. According to Se og Hør, he spent last Thursday at Ekspedisjonshallen in Oslo, a restaurant just steps from the Royal Palace inside the five-star Sommerro hotel. Dressed casually in dark pants, a shirt, a sweater, and sneakers, he chatted and laughed with friends.
The restaurant is known for its ambiance, with diners enjoying dinner beneath an original mural by artist Per Krohg. Haakon stayed until around 10 p.m., then headed home in a black BMW. Throughout his wife's recovery, he's echoed Prince William, who also stepped back from royal duties to care for Kate Middleton after her abdominal surgery.
© NTBCrown Prince Haakon, the monarchy's steady hand
Amid the Norwegian royal family's recent scandals, Haakon has clearly become the family's anchor. Since Mette-Marit's controversial friendship with Jeffrey Epstein came to light, and following the four-year prison sentence handed to Marius Borg Høiby, the son she had before her marriage, Norway's future king has done everything he can to keep the family united during one of the toughest stretches in its modern history.
The chronic pulmonary fibrosis that has shaped her public life for over a decade
© Getty ImagesMette-Marit's diagnosis of chronic pulmonary fibrosis was made public in 2018. It's a progressive, incurable disease that scars lung tissue and makes breathing increasingly difficult over time. It's forced her to scale back her schedule, take several medical leaves, and, at times, appear at official events using an oxygen tank. In recent months, her condition worsened to the point that her medical team began considering a transplant.
What a lung transplant involves, and what recovery typically looks like
Some treatments can slow the progression of pulmonary fibrosis, but for some patients, like Mette-Marit, the disease keeps advancing despite every available option. That's when doctors start weighing a transplant. The decision isn't based on symptom severity alone; it also factors in disease progression, lung function, oxygen needs, and survival odds.
© UK Press via Getty Images
