Royal House shares update on Crown Princess' sick leave

Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway's sick leave has been extended. In an update on Oct. 30, the Norwegian Royal House said, "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."

Two days after the Crown Princess celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Nordic Embassies in Berlin, Germany, it was announced on Oct. 23 that the 51-year-old royal was going on sick leave for "initially" a week. The Royal House revealed earlier in the month that Mette-Marit had restarted treatment for her chronic lung disease. 

"Previous experience has shown that the medicines can lead to side effects that can have consequences for the Crown Princess's official programme," the Royal House said (translated to English) on Oct. 11. "Therefore, we find it natural to share this information this time. We will inform you about changes to the official program if necessary."

The Royal House shared in 2018 that Crown Prince Haakon's wife had been diagnosed with a chronic pulmonary disease. At the time, Crown Princess Mette-Marit said (translated to English): "For a number of years, I have had health challenges on a regular basis, and now we know more about what is involved. The condition means that my working capacity will vary. The Crown Prince and I are choosing to make this public now partly because in future there will be a need to plan periods of time without an official programme to accommodate treatment and when the disease is more active."

The royal mom of three also noted that "even if such a diagnosis will limit my life at times, I am glad that the disease has been discovered so early." Crown Princess Mette-Marit added, "My goal is still to work and participate in the official programme as much as possible."