By Terje Solsvik
OSLO, June 17 (Reuters) - Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit has undergone a successful lung transplant and will remain in hospital for several weeks as she begins her recovery, doctors at Oslo University Hospital said on Wednesday.
The 52-year-old wife of Crown Prince Haakon, heir to the Norwegian throne, was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018, a chronic disease that causes scarring in the lungs and reduces oxygen uptake.
The hospital said the transplant had "so far" been successful,
in a statement provided by the palace, but without specifying exactly when the procedure took place.
"Like all newly transplanted patients, the crown princess will remain at the hospital for several weeks to come," Oslo University Hospital Professor Are Holm said.
The time would be spent adjusting medication, managing potential complications and beginning physical rehabilitation, he said.
The surgery comes at a strained time for the royal family: earlier this week, Mette-Marit's 29-year-old son from a previous relationship, Marius Borg Hoiby, was convicted of rape and domestic violence and sentenced to four years in prison. Hoiby plans to appeal, his lawyer has said.
On June 5, Oslo University Hospital said Mette-Marit had been placed on a waiting list for a lung transplant after a sharp deterioration in her health that likely gave her only about a year to live without the surgery.
The crown prince and crown princess thanked the public for their messages of support, the palace said, adding that the next update on her condition is expected only once she has been discharged.
NO PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT
Around 30 to 35 lung transplants are performed in Norway each year, and hospital officials have stressed that members of the royal family receive no preferential treatment in receiving new organs.
While waiting lists are relatively short, strict criteria must be met for a transplant to succeed, Holm said earlier this month.
"It has to be the right size, it must be the correct blood type, and we have to make sure that the recipient doesn't have antibodies against the tissue type of the organ," he told reporters.
"It's about getting the right organ to the right person. This means that many factors have to align to increase the chances of success."
Up to 90% of lung transplant patients in Norway survive the first year after surgery, while around 55% are still alive after 10 years, according to Oslo University Hospital data.
Crown Prince Haakon in December said the family had noticed a change in Mette-Marit's condition and that she was struggling more to breathe.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere had praised the crown princess for being open about her illness, saying this could help others suffering from similar conditions.
Mette-Marit was 25, a single mother and a commoner when she met Haakon at a music festival in 1999 — the start of an unlikely royal romance that initially sparked controversy but ultimately won over much of the Norwegian public.
ROYAL FAMILY HIT BY SCANDALS
But support for Norway's monarchy has taken a hit this year, opinion polls have shown, as several scandals hit at once.
Hoiby's conviction on Monday followed a highly publicised trial that dominated headlines.
Meanwhile, the crown princess has apologised to the king and queen for her contact with late U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, whom she had described as a friend, though she cut ties several years before his death in 2019.
A Norstat survey in February, conducted during Hoiby's trial, showed support for retaining the monarchy falling to a record low of 60%, before recovering slightly to 64% in May.
(Reporting by Terje Solsvik, editing by Gwladys Fouche and Ros Russell)
