- Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway’s sick leave has been extended for another week
- The Royal Court told PEOPLE on Oct. 23 that the princess was “on sick leave, initially for a week” due to the side effect of a medication she was taking for chronic lung disease
- It was announced in 2018 that Crown Princess Mette-Marit, 51, was diagnosed with a chronic lung disease
Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway’s sick leave is continuing, inspiring a dive into the future Queen of Norway.
On Oct. 30, the Royal House of Norway announced that the Crown Princess’ leave has been extended for another week.
“Due to side effects of the medicines the Crown Princess must take for her chronic lung disease, the sick leave has been extended, initially until 5 November,” the court said in a statement, translated into English. “Program entries in the period will be canceled or postponed.”
The update came one week after a spokesperson for the Norwegian Royal Court told PEOPLE that Crown Princess Mette-Marit was temporarily postponing her royal duties due to the side effect of a medication she was taking for a chronic lung disease.
“H.K.H. The Crown Princess is on sick leave,” a palace spokesperson said on Oct. 23. “Due to side effects of the medication that Her Royal Highness is using for her chronic lung disease, she is on sick leave, initially for a week. Her official program during this period will be canceled or postponed.”
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In 2018, the Royal House of Norway shared that the Crown Princess was diagnosed with a chronic pulmonary disease of the lungs. Pulmonary fibrosis occurs when lung tissue becomes scarred, making it more difficult for the lungs to work properly, the Mayo Clinic said. At the time, the court’s announcement acknowledged that the diagnosis “may limit the performance of her official program at times.”
Crown Princess Mette-Marit was born Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby, graduated from Kristiansand Cathedral School and is married to Crown Prince Haakon, the future King of Norway. The couple met through friends (reportedly at a music festival!) in 1999, announced their engagement on Dec. 1, 2000 and married at Oslo Cathedral in Norway on Aug. 25, 2001.
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Mette-Marit was a mom when she married Haakon, and welcomed her son Marius Borg Høiby in 1997. Concern initially swirled around Crown Prince Haakon and Mette-Marit’s courtship, as her ex Marten Borg, Marius’ father, had been convicted of drug possession in the 1990s. Haakon and Mette-Marit also lived together before they got married, when was frowned upon by the Lutheran Church of Norway, which the groom’s father, King Harald, headed at the time.
In a press conference with her fiancé days before their royal wedding, Mette-Marit condemned drugs and asked the public to move forward with her.
“My youth rebellion was much stronger than many others,” she said in 2001, the BBC reported at the time. “That resulted in me living quite a wild life.”
Crown Prince Haakon also emphasized that his parents, the King and Queen Sonja, supported their relationship.
“What we two found together was so strong that I could not let it go,” the Crown Prince said.
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The couple went on to welcome two children, daughter Princess Ingrid Alexandra, now 20, who follows her father as second in the line of succession to the throne, and son Prince Sverre Magnus, now 18.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s son Marius, 27, doesn’t have a public role, but often joins his royal relatives for special events and festive occasions.
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Crown Princess Mette-Marit is a full-time working royal, and uses her platform to highlight a broad range of causes including literature, Norwegian youth, entrepreneurship, sustainability, mental health and global health, according to her royal bio.
She is also passionate about social inclusion, youth leadership and environmental issues, serves as patron of the Norwegian Red Cross and endeavors to help young people at risk through The Crown Prince and Crown Princess’ Foundation, which she shares with her husband.
Heiko Junge/NTB
Mette-Marit’s bio lists her leisure interests as outdoor recreation, exercise, literature, film and theater. It adds that she and Crown Prince Haakon enjoy an active family life, “and spend a great deal of time with their children enjoying outdoor recreational activities, from skiing in the winter to sailing and hiking at other times of the year.”
Before the announcement about her health, Crown Princess Mette-Marit was most recently seen on Oct. 21, when she and her husband traveled to Germany for the 25th anniversary of the Nordic embassy complex. They joined fellow royals Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden, and King Frederik and Queen Mary of Denmark at a state dinner at Bellevue Palace in Berlin.
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In August, her son Marius was reportedly arrested in connection to an incident involving a woman in her 20s.
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