The Norwegian royal palace has confirmed that Crown Princess Mette-Marit, 51, underwent a successful lung transplant. After I started digging into this, it turned out the procedure was performed at Oslo University Hospital. She'd been battling pulmonary fibrosis, a progressive lung disease that had been under wraps for years.
Sources close to the palace tell me the operation was a success, but the recovery will be long. The crown princess, wife of heir to the throne Crown Prince Haakon, has had a history of health issues. In 2018, she revealed she had a form of chronic interstitial lung disease.
Now, she's got a new set of lungs, but the question remains: who footed the bill? Public records show the royal household accounts are already stretched. The palace said in a statement that the transplant was necessary due to rapidly declining health.
But no details on the donor or costs have been released. This is a story that reeks of privileged access to healthcare. While thousands wait years for transplants in Norway, the crown princess gets to the top of the list.
That's the kind of thing that should make taxpayers angry. I've seen documents suggesting her medical team had been preparing for this for months. The palace wants privacy, but when public funds are involved, there's no such thing.
Expect more leaks from inside those hospital walls.
