Queen Mette-Marit of Norway, still convalescing after a lung transplant, will ultimately not attend the swearing-in of her husband, King Haakon VIII, on Tuesday, the Royal Palace announced. Aged 53, Mette-Marit underwent a lung transplant in mid-June to treat an incurable lung disease.
“It is not uncommon for complications to occur after a lung transplant. The Queen has experienced complications on several occasions since the operation, including today,” said the doctor, Are Holm, quoted in a Palace press release on Tuesday just a few hours before the ceremony.
“She must therefore remain under observation throughout the day. The Queen will therefore unfortunately not be able to attend the swearing-in in front of Parliament today,” he added. His presence had however been announced the day before by the Palace.
Having automatically become king on the death of his father Harald on Friday, Haakon, also 53 years old, must take the oath before Parliament at 1 p.m., an institutional step intended to mark that his powers and prerogatives are limited and regulated by the Constitution.
Royal functions are essentially symbolic and representative in Norway.
