Tag Archives: Scandinavian royalty

Norwegian Royals, Royal Family of Norway

Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway Placed on Lung Transplant Waiting List, Palace Confirms

Portrait courtesy of Det Kongelige Hoff

In Oslo, the Royal Household of Norway has announced that Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway has been placed on the national waiting list for a lung transplant following the progression of her chronic pulmonary fibrosis.

According to the Royal Household, the decision was made after extensive medical examinations and a comprehensive assessment of the Crown Princess’s condition. In a statement issued on behalf of Rikshospitalet, Chief Physician and pulmonary specialist Dr. Are Martin Holm described the development of the Crown Princess’s illness as “serious” and confirmed that she has now been placed on the list of patients who will undergo lung transplantation as soon as possible.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit was diagnosed with chronic pulmonary fibrosis in 2018. The progressive lung disease causes scarring of lung tissue and can significantly impair respiratory function over time.

In December 2025, the Royal Household announced that the Crown Princess’s condition had worsened and confirmed that preparations were underway for the possibility of a future lung transplant. At the time, no decision had been made regarding placement on the transplant waiting list.

The Royal Household stated that, pending the operation, it will not be possible for the Crown Princess to carry out official duties or maintain her normal program of engagements. The Crown Princess’s health condition will also have implications for the activities and official program of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and the Crown Prince Family.

As a consequence, the Crown Prince Couple have postponed the celebrations marking their silver wedding anniversary, which had been scheduled to take place in August 2026. Crown Princess Mette-Marit will also not participate in the county tour planned for September 2026.

The Royal Household further announced that Crown Prince Haakon will adjust his program in the coming months in order to spend more time with the Crown Princess before and after the operation. As part of those adjustments, the Crown Prince will not attend the celebration marking the 50th wedding anniversary of Their Majesties King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden in Stockholm on June 13th, 2026 as previously planned.

In order to be closer to her family during this period, Her Royal Highness Princess Ingrid Alexandra has returned to Norway. She will undertake an exchange semester at the University of Oslo during the Fall term of 2026 rather than continuing her studies at the University of Sydney in Sydney, Australia. His Royal Highness Prince Sverre Magnus is expected to begin his studies in Europe this Fall and will return to Norway should circumstances require it.

Norwegian Royals, Royal Family of Norway

Queen Sonja of Norway Cancels Official Program Due to Heart Fibrillation

Portrait courtesy of Det Kongelige Hoff/Kimm Saatvedt

In Oslo, the Communications Adviser to the Royal Household of Norway, Mr. Simen Løvberg Sund, confirmed to the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet that Her Majesty Queen Sonja of Norway had cancelled her official program after experiencing heart fibrillation.

Her Majesty Queen Sonja had been scheduled to participate alongside His Majesty King Harald V of Norway and His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon of Norway in receiving the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, Narendra Modi, at the Royal Palace for an official audience and luncheon held in connection with the Prime Minister’s official visit to the Kingdom of Norway.

The Queen did not participate in the engagements, and her name was subsequently removed from the official program published by the Royal Household of Norway.

This morning’s announcement comes several months after Her Majesty the Queen had a pacemaker implanted at Rikshospitalet in Oslo on January 16th, 2025, following an earlier episode of heart fibrillation experienced during a skiing trip.

Prior to the procedure, the Queen had been briefly hospitalized in Lillehammer for observation before later returning to Oslo, where the pacemaker was inserted in order to stabilize her heart rhythm.

In April 2025, the Queen was again admitted to hospital after experiencing shortness of breath while staying at the royal family’s residence in Sikkilsdalen. The Royal Household of Norway later confirmed that the hospitalization had been precautionary in nature.

Danish Royals, Royal Family of Denmark

Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine of Denmark Confirmed at Fredensborg Slotskirke, Continuing Historic Royal Tradition

  • Portraits courtesy of Karen Karen Rosetzsky/Kongehuset©
  • Portraits courtesy of Karen Karen Rosetzsky/Kongehuset©
  • Portraits courtesy of Karen Karen Rosetzsky/Kongehuset©
  • Portraits courtesy of Karen Karen Rosetzsky/Kongehuset©
  • Portraits courtesy of Karen Karen Rosetzsky/Kongehuset©
  • Portraits courtesy of Karen Roetzsky/Kongehuset©
  • Portraits courtesy of Karen Karen Rosetzsky/Kongehuset©
  • Portraits courtesy of Karen Karen Rosetzsky/Kongehuset©
  • Portraits courtesy of Karen Karen Rosetzsky/Kongehuset©
  • Portraits courtesy of Karen Karen Rosetzsky/Kongehuset©
  • Portraits courtesy of Karen Karen Rosetzsky/Kongehuset©
  • Portraits courtesy of Karen Karen Rosetzsky/Kongehuset©
  • Photo courtesy of Kongehuset©

This morning in Fredensborg, His Royal Highness Prince Vincent of Denmark and Her Royal Highness Princess Josephine of Denmark were confirmed at Fredensborg Slotskirke at Fredensborg Slot.

The confirmation was presided over by Bishop Henrik Wigh-Poulsen, Bishop of Aarhus and Kongelig Konfessionarius (Royal Confessor).

Fredensborg Slotskirke has, for more than a century, served as a central setting for confirmations within the royal family of Denmark. Her Majesty Queen Margrethe of Denmark, then Princess Margrethe of Denmark, was confirmed there on April 1st, 1955.  His Majesty King Frederik X of Denmark was confirmed in the same chapel on May 28th, 1981, followed by His Royal Highness Prince Joachim of Denmark on June 10th, 1982. 

More recently, Fredensborg Slotskirke has also been the site of the confirmations of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Christian of Denmark on May 15th, 2021, and Her Royal Highness Princess Isabella of Denmark on April 30th, 2022.

The Church of Denmark is an Evangelical Lutheran church and the constitutionally established national church of the Kingdom of Denmark. Under the Danish Constitution, the monarch is required to belong to the Church, a requirement tied to its constitutional and historical position within the Danish state.

The Church of Denmark emerged from the Lutheran Reformation in the 16th century, formally established under the reign of King Christian III, who introduced Lutheranism in 1536. Since that period, the Danish monarchy has maintained a close institutional relationship with the Church, including a constitutional and administrative relationship within the state framework, alongside public funding through both church taxation and state support.

Within the Lutheran tradition, confirmation is not regarded as a sacrament in the same sense as in the Catholic Church. Instead, it constitutes a public affirmation of baptismal faith. Candidates typically undertake a period of instruction in Christian doctrine before being confirmed during a church service.

In the Kingdom of Denmark, confirmation retains both religious and social significance. For members of the royal family, it also carries symbolic constitutional significance, reflecting the monarch’s required membership in the national church under the Danish Constitution.

Members of the royal family of Denmark attended this morning’s confirmation ceremony alongside foreign royalty, family, and close friends. Among those present were Her Majesty Queen Margrethe of Denmark, Their Royal Highnesses Prince Joachim and Princess Marie of Denmark, the godmother of Princess Josephine, His Excellency Count Nikolai of Monpezat, His Excellency Count Felix of Monpezat, His Majesty King Felipe VI of Spain, the godfather of Prince Vincent.

Mr. John Stuart Donaldson, the brother of Her Majesty Queen Mary of Denmark and the godfather of Prince Vincent, Mrs. Patricia Bailey, the sister of Her Majesty Queen Mary of Denmark and the godmother of Princess Josephine, Mrs. Jane Stephens, the sister of Her Majesty Queen Mary of Denmark, Their Royal Highnesses Prince Charles and Princess Camilla of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke and Duchess of Castro.

His Serene Highness Prince Gustav of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg,  the first cousin of His Majesty King Frederik X of Denmark and the godfather of Prince Vincent, Baron Otto and Baroness Helle Reedtz-Thott, the godmother of Prince Vincent, Her Serene Highness Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, the first cousin of His Majesty King Frederik X of Denmark, and Count Michael Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille, godfather of Prince Vincent.

Mr. Peter Heering and Mrs. Caroline Heering, the godmother of Prince Vincent, Count Bendt Wedell, the godfather of Princess Josephine, Mr. Jeppe Handwerk and Mrs. Birgitte Handwerk, the godmother of Princess Josephine, and Ms. Josephine Rechner, the godmother of Princess Josephine.

Prior to the ceremony, official portraits of Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine were photographed inside Kancellihuset at Fredensborg Slot. The images were captured by Danish photographer, Ms. Karen Rosetzsky.