Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit is recovering in hospital after undergoing a lung transplant described by her medical team as successful, the royal palace has announced.

The 52-year-old crown princess has for years lived with a rare form of pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic and progressive disease that scars the lungs and gradually makes breathing more difficult. The palace said her condition had worsened markedly in recent months, leaving doctors with no option but to consider transplantation.

Are Holm, a lung specialist at Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, said in a statement that the operation had gone according to plan and that the princess was in a stable condition.

“We are delighted that everything has progressed well so far. In accordance with standard practice for all recent transplant recipients, Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess will remain admitted to Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet for several weeks to come,” Holm said.

Specialists had previously explained that a lung transplant was regarded as a last resort, typically considered only when a patient is believed to have less than two years to live without new lungs. Being placed on the transplant waiting list underscored the seriousness of Mette-Marit’s illness and the speed of its recent progression.

Mette-Marit, a former commoner who married Crown Prince Haakon in 2001, has long been one of the most visible members of the Norwegian royal family. Since her diagnosis in 2018, she has periodically scaled back official duties on medical advice, while remaining involved in causes ranging from mental health to inclusion and youth empowerment.

The palace said Crown Prince Haakon will reduce his public engagements in the coming weeks to spend more time with his wife as she recovers and begins the demanding process of rehabilitation and lifelong follow-up care that accompanies organ transplantation.

The news of the transplant comes at a turbulent moment for the royal household. Just days earlier, an Oslo court sentenced Mette-Marit’s 29-year-old son from a previous relationship, Marius Borg Hoiby, to four years in prison on two counts of rape and dozens of other offences. Hoiby has denied the most serious charges, and his lawyers have said they will appeal.

The palace has not commented on the court case, focusing instead on the crown princess’s health and recovery.