Kenneth Glad
The royal household is dealing with two separate strains at once. One is deeply personal, while the other has revived public debate over past judgment.
Crown Prince Haakon said earlier today that Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s health has worsened as she continues to live with pulmonary fibrosis, the chronic lung disease she revealed in 2018.
Speaking to reporters at a prize ceremony in Oslo, Haakon said, according to NRK:
“The crown princess is seriously ill, and I think she has become considerably worse recently. So I am worried about her health.”
He said Mette-Marit now uses oxygen in daily life and that it helps somewhat. Pulmonary fibrosis causes scarring in the lungs, making breathing harder and reducing the body’s oxygen intake.
Her condition has become more visible
Concerns have grown as Mette-Marit’s public appearances have become more limited.
TV 2 Denmark reported that she left Norway’s Constitution Day celebration at Skaugum on May 17 after only 15 minutes.
She has also recently been seen using oxygen tubes. In December 2025, she told NRK that a lung transplant could eventually become necessary.
“We have always known with this illness that this is how it develops,” she said. “But I think it happened a little faster than I had imagined and hoped.”
Asked whether she could soon be placed on a transplant list, Haakon said that decision belongs to the doctors.
He described it as a medical question and said specialists would decide when the time was right.
Questions over past contact
At the same press meeting, Haakon also addressed Mette-Marit’s past contact with Jeffrey Epstein.
NRK writes that Epstein-related documents showed broader contact than previously known.
According to the Norwegian broadcaster, Mette-Marit first met Epstein in 2011, after his conviction in the United States.
The network cited an email in which she wrote: “Googled u after last email. Agree didn’t look too good :)”
Mette-Marit has said she does not remember what the message referred to. She has also said she did not understand the seriousness of Epstein’s crimes until 2019.
The Florida episode
Mette-Marit has previously described an uncomfortable episode at Epstein’s home in Florida, though she has not publicly detailed what happened.
Haakon said there were situations where she felt Epstein may not have wanted her well. He added that others also warned her Epstein was not a good person.
He said she called him after the Florida episode, but they did not see it as serious enough to contact police security. Haakon also confirmed the he knew she remained in contact with Epstein afterwards.
Mette-Marit has since said she ended the relationship and felt manipulated and deceived.
Haakon said the family must review routines, but also warned against becoming overly suspicious or judgmental without basis.
Sources: TV 2 Denmark, NRK
