Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway cancels special birthday outing due to illness

Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, who suffers from chronic pulmonary fibrosis, has canceled a royal engagement at the last minute due to illness.

The 49-year-old was due to visit Finnmark on Tuesday as part of a collection of engagements to mark her 50th birthday later this year.

Instead, her husband, Crown Prince Haakon, stepped out solo to open a new primary school and later attended Sami College.

The Royal Palace of Norway shared footage of Haakon’s visit on its official Instagram account, stating, “The visit to Kautokeino School is part of the Crown Prince couple’s travels around Norway in connection with their 50th anniversary. Crown Princess Mette-Marit also came to Finnmark, but unfortunately fell ill and was unable to attend the visits.’

She was diagnosed with chronic pulmonary fibrosis in October 2018 and has previously had the life-limiting condition causes her to “wear out more quickly than before.”

Her husband, Crown Prince Haakon, stepped out solo to open a new primary school and later attended Sami College (pictured)

The disease has no cure, causing breathing problems due to scar tissue forming on the lungs, and has forced her to slow down her hectic schedule of royal duties.

According to Royal Central in 2019, Mette-Marit was on medication to help her manage the disease.

She reportedly knew about her rare lung disease “for quite some time” before coming out.

‘I can make more decisions about my daily life and I realize how good it is for me. I can just go for a walk and have more time to read, life has slowed down,” she told an interviewer.

She then said she found it difficult to talk about her condition.

“I’m well aware of my health condition, but I don’t want it to get so much outside attention, that’s one of the reasons why I love my ‘new little life’ so much.”

The princess, at the time of her diagnosis, spoke of continuing a normal life.

The Royal Court issued a statement when the princess was diagnosed, which revealed she is under constant monitoring by medical professionals.

A statement from the Royal Court said: ‘The Crown Princess has undergone extensive examinations regarding her health and an unusual variant of fibrosis in the lungs has been discovered, according to the Crown Princess’s physician, Professor Kristian Bjøro of the National Hospital.

A number of photos from the royal family’s visit to the Kautokeino School were shared on Instagram (pictured)

“It’s not yet clear if the lung disease is related to a more extensive autoimmune disease process or if there are other causes underlying the lung changes.”

The princess added: “Although such a diagnosis will limit my life at times, I am glad that the disease was discovered so early.

“My goal is still to work as much as possible and participate in the official program.”

Crown Princess Mette-Marit was diagnosed with chronic pulmonary fibrosis just months after revealing she suffered from benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), which can cause loss of balance, dizziness and nausea.

She took part in a number of royal engagements earlier this year alongside her husband, Crown Prince Haakon (pictured in March 2023)

She was diagnosed with chronic pulmonary fibrosis in October 2018 and has previously said the life-limiting condition is causing her to become “depleted more quickly than before”

The Royal is a particularly rare case, as chronic pulmonary fibrosis usually occurs in people between the ages of 70 and 75.

According to the health service,” before the availability of treatments such as pirfenidone and nintedanib, about half of people with IPF lived at least 3 years after their diagnosis. About 1 in 5 survived longer than 5 years.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit married into the Norwegian Royal Family in 2001.