Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit to appear on National Day despite health struggles

Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit will greet the public from the royal palace balcony on 17. mai (Constitution Day), despite ongoing health challenges and public scrutiny, Dagbladet reports.

The princess, who has been increasingly seen using supplemental oxygen due to chronic pulmonary fibrosis, will join Crown Prince Haakon, King Harald, Queen Sonja, and Prince Sverre Magnus in the traditional balcony appearance. Their daughter, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, will mark the holiday in Sydney, where she is studying at the University of Sydney.

This year’s celebrations come amid heightened pressure on the royal family following revelations about the crown princess’s past connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. A March survey by Norstat for Dagbladet and NRK found that 76% of Norwegians said their trust in Mette-Marit had weakened due to the Epstein links, though 66% still supported the monarchy as a form of government.

In a rare interview with NRK in March, the crown princess addressed the controversy, but critics have questioned whether her responses were sufficient. Crown Prince Haakon recently told Dagbladet that the family was navigating a “difficult period” but that he felt things were “getting a little better.”

The palace confirmed the royal family will greet the children’s parade from the palace steps at 08:15 before the balcony appearance. The parade, a centerpiece of Oslo’s 17. mai festivities since 1870, has been a royal tradition since 1906, excluding wartime years.