Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway defied expectations today by appearing at the opening of the Belgian State Visit, despite palace officials having confirmed she would not participate due to her declining health.
The 52-year-old royal joined Crown Prince Haakon, King Harald and Queen Sonja at the Royal Palace in Oslo to greet King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium as they began their official trip.
Her presence marked the first time she had attended a formal royal engagement since late January, when she visited Fredrikstad Library alongside her husband.
The Norwegian palace had announced just one week ago that the Crown Princess would be absent from the State Visit programme because her pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic lung disease, has worsened significantly.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit made a surprise appearance for the opening of the Belgian State Visit today
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Guri Varpe, the palace's head of communications, told NRK on March 17 that "the Crown Princess's health has deteriorated, which is why she is not currently listed in the program for the state visit."
Earlier this month, they confirmed to TV2 that preparations had begun for a potential lung transplant assessment following what she described as "a clear negative development" in the Crown Princess's condition since December.
The spokesperson explained that Mette-Marit now requires increased rest, tailored exercise and recovery time, with her official duties being adjusted accordingly.
Although she appeared in photographs with the Norwegian and Belgian royals today, the Crown Princess is not expected to attend the remaining events, including a wreath-laying ceremony and gala dinner.
Her schedule shows no further engagements for the coming fortnight.
The Crown Princess's appearance came just five days after she gave a rare and emotional interview to NRK addressing her past friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.
Speaking from her home at Skaugum with Crown Prince Haakon beside her, Mette-Marit became tearful as she discussed the relationship, with the conversation limited to 20 minutes owing to her health.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Crown Prince Haakon welcomed King Harald and Queen Sonja at the Royal Palace in Oslo
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"It is incredibly important for me to take responsibility for not checking his background more carefully. And to take responsibility for being so manipulated and deceived as I was," she told the broadcaster.
The Crown Princess was named in documents released by the US Department of Justice on January 30 relating to the Epstein investigation, revealing the extent of their contact between 2011 and 2014.
Emails showed discussions about his "wife hunt" and royal weddings, and Mette-Marit expressed guilt over staying at his Palm Beach residence in 2013.
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Her voice cracked as she spoke of "all the victims who have been subjected to the gross abuses who deserve justice," expressing "such great anger that they haven't received it".
The convicted sex offender died in August 2019 whilst awaiting trial on federal trafficking charges, and Mette-Marit publicly distanced herself from him that December before issuing a formal apology in February following the DOJ file release.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit has been battling pulmonary fibrosis
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The interview also touched upon the trial of her son Marius Borg Høiby, which concluded on the same day she spoke to NRK.
The 29-year-old, Mette-Marit's child from a relationship before her marriage to Crown Prince Haakon, faced 38 charges including four counts of rape, all of which he denies.
Prosecutors have sought a sentence of seven years and seven months, though no verdict has yet been delivered following the nearly seven-week proceedings.
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