How bad is Mette-Marit’s health?

Crown Prince Haakon is unusually open: his seriously ill wife Mette-Marit is “in a very bad way”. At the same time, the pressure on the Norwegian royal family is growing.

Crown Prince Haakon has been bravely attending every official appointment for weeks and months. However, the Norwegian heir to the throne’s thoughts are probably elsewhere: his wife Crown Princess Mette-Marit, who is suffering from lung disease, is in a bad way – very bad, as he emphasized during an official visit to Japan this week.

He has therefore shortened the trip by one day. “I feel far away from home,” Haakon told journalists. “It’s important to come home and be with Mette.”

Hereditary Princess Ingrid Alexandra also wants to interrupt her studies in Sydney, Australia, to be there for her mother.

In December, the royal family announced that Mette-Marit would need a new lung sooner or later. Since then, the crown princess’s health has reportedly continued to decline.

The stress caused by several scandals involving the Norwegian and her family in recent months is likely to have contributed to this.

Illnesses are not her only problem

Her eldest son Marius Borg Høiby, whom she brought into the marriage with Haakon, was on trial for rape allegations.

She herself also made the headlines and caused a great deal of resentment among her fellow countrymen: The documents in the Jeffrey Epstein case had brought unpleasant details about the crown princess’s relationship with the sex offender to light.

“I didn’t know he was a sex offender,” Mette-Marit claimed on Norwegian television after months of silence about her long-standing friendship with Epstein.

However, many Norwegians find the crown princess’s behavior naive to say the least – some even believe that she is no longer a worthy future queen.

But they also feel sorry for the seriously ill woman. In 2018, Mette-Marit was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis – an incurable disease that causes shortness of breath, shortness of breath and coughing. Recently, the Crown Princess has appeared in public again from time to time, usually with an oxygen machine.

“We just have to try to deal with it as best we can,” Haakon tried to remain optimistic. But he is obviously finding it difficult.

Crown Prince Haakon: He now has the hardest job

In the meantime, it seems as if he is carrying the biggest burden of the monarchy on his shoulders alone. His parents, King Harald V and Queen Sonja, are both approaching 90 and are constantly struggling with health problems.

Sonja was recently hospitalized twice in quick succession with heart problems. Harald also has a pacemaker, as does his sister, Princess Astrid, who, at 94, still helps out wherever she can.

So far, King Harald V has never considered retiring at his advanced age, and that seems to make Haakon proud.

“I find it impressive how the King and Queen continue to carry out their official duties,” the Crown Prince recently told journalists. “And I think they do much more than can be expected.”

Without his parents, Haakon would probably also be completely lost: his own wife is seriously ill, their two children, Hereditary Princess Ingrid Alexandra (22) and Prince Sverre Magnus (20), are still relatively young, and the former is actually studying in Australia.

Princess Ingrid Alexandra wants to stand by her mother

The fact that Ingrid Alexandra is now returning home temporarily could be an indication of how serious Mette-Marit’s situation really is – and of how urgently Haakon needs support.

Because one thing is clear: this is not just about coping with the current crises and illnesses together as a family – it is about nothing other than the continued existence of the Norwegian monarchy.

Until now, most Norwegians have loyally supported their royal family. However, this has a lot to do with the popularity of their monarch, whom the Scandinavians value for his down-to-earth attitude and lack of scandal.

Instead, the next generation has brought unrest to the royal family. According to a recent survey commissioned by the television station NRK, 64 percent of Norwegians still support the monarchy.

By Norwegian standards, this is a relatively low figure: in 2017, it was 81 percent. According to the latest survey, one in three Norwegians believe the monarchy should be abolished after King Harald.

Young people are particularly critical: in the 18 to 29 age group, only around half of respondents believe that the monarchy should continue after Harald.

So these are difficult times for the heir to the throne – and it doesn’t look like the burden on his shoulders will be lightened any time soon.