As King Haakon hosts the first parliamentary gala dinner of his reign, his wife, Queen Mette-Marit is not in attendance. She is on a medical leave from her royal duties in the wake of a lung transplant.
As the Norwegian Palace noted earlier this month, Queen Mette-Marit “is still in rehabilitation after her lung transplant and will initially have no official program until next summer.” Mette-Marit, 53, underwent a lung transplant in June, as her health deteriorated following her 2018 diagnosis of chronic pulmonary fibrosis. While she was expected to stay out of the public eye for six months, following the death of King Harald, Queen Mette-Marit attended Harald’s funeral.
She has missed, however, a number of major events of her husband’s new reign, including King Haakon swearing the Oath of Allegiance and his first Opening of Parliament. She was expected to join Haakon at his swearing-in, however shortly before the ceremony, she pulled out due to complications from her lung transplant. In a statement released at the time, a pulmonologist assured the public that, “It is not uncommon for complications to occur after a lung transplant. The Queen has had complications on some occasions since the operation, including today. As a result, the Queen must be observed throughout the day. ”
At both events, and this evening, her daughter Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra has stood in for her. Princess Ingrid Alexandra is set to return to her studies in Sydney, Australia in February, but Queen Mette-Marit is not expected to be back at work until next summer at the earliest.
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Deputy Digital Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, celebrities, the royals, and a wide range of other topics. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Instagram, Twitter, and other social media platforms.