Queen Mette-Marit of Norway was driven to an Oslo hospital by her husband, King Haakon, after she was forced to miss his swearing-in ceremony on September 1.
The new Norwegian queen, who suffers from pulmonary fibrosis, skipped the event due to "complications" from her recent lung transplant, per the royal court. According to Hello! magazine's sister publication Hola!, King Haakon was photographed driving his wife to the National Hospital just hours after he took an oath before parliament.
"At approximately 6:20 p.m., Haakon VIII was seen leaving the National Hospital without Mette-Marit, remaining inside until 9:30 p.m., at which time the King returned to the medical center to pick up the Queen," the publication reported (translated from Spanish).
Earlier in the day, the palace released a statement by one of Queen Mette-Marit's doctors. "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," pulmonologist Are Holm, Head of the Department of Respiratory Medicine at the National Hospital, said.
"As a result, the Queen must be observed throughout the day," the doctor continued. "The Queen will therefore unfortunately not be able to attend the swearing-in ceremony in the Storting today."
King Harald V died at the age of 89 on August 28, making his only son, Crown Prince Haakon, the new king.
Haakon and Mette-Marit's daughter, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, is next in line to the throne, and she attended her father's swearing-in on Queen Mette-Marit's behalf.
Queen Mette-Marit was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018, and the condition causes scarring in the lungs and makes it difficult to breathe.
She received a lung transplant in June 2026 and was released from the hospital in July, with Queen Sonja telling reporters at the time, “It's simply fantastic. It's fantastic that it went so well.”
