Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway appeared in public for the first time since her June lung transplant on Tuesday, when she visited the hospitalized King Harald V in Oslo.
DR reports that photos from the grounds of Rikshospitalet in Oslo show the crown princess arriving on August 18 together with Crown Prince Haakon. The couple were pictured in their car outside the hospital, where the 89-year-old king is admitted.
According to DR, King Harald was admitted on Monday with fluid accumulation in the body. The condition followed weeks of cortisone treatment for the blood disease hemolytic anemia. The Norwegian royal house said on Monday that the king is on sick leave for two weeks.
The Associated Press, in a report carried by the Lethbridge Herald, adds that Crown Prince Haakon serves as regent during the king’s sick leave. Town & Country reports the same palace statement, describing the fluid retention as a consequence of the cortisone treatment.
Other family members also came to the hospital on Tuesday. Per Norwegian outlet VG, cited by DR, one of the king’s grandchildren and his older sister, Princess Astrid, 94, visited as well. Town & Country identifies the grandchild as Maud Angelica Behn.
Still in recovery after transplant
Mette-Marit made the visit while still undergoing rehabilitation. DR notes that the royal house has said she will spend the coming six months recovering, with doctors watching closely for complications such as rejection of the new lungs and infections. Doctors had placed her on a list for patients who would not survive a year without a transplant.
Town & Country reports that the operation took place at Rikshospitalet in mid-June 2026 and that she was discharged in mid-July. The outlet adds that she is living at Skaugum while she recovers and is not expected to take on official engagements for about six months.
Danish tabloid Ekstra Bladet writes that the pictures come from the Norwegian news agency NTB and show one of the first times the crown princess has been photographed since receiving new lungs. Norwegian outlet Se og Hør reports that she was last seen in public 44 days earlier.
Before Tuesday, the only glimpse of Mette-Marit came in a photo released by the royal house on July 5. As described by DR, it showed her on a sofa with Crown Prince Haakon at the palace in Oslo, following Norway’s men’s national team at the football World Cup. That was her first sign of life after the surgery.
Nettavisen reports that the crown prince couple were observed outside Rikshospitalet on Tuesday afternoon, a day after the palace announced the king’s admission. According to El Español, citing the royal house, the palace will provide further updates on his condition.
