Photos of Princess Mette-Marit walking with her husband, Haakon, and two other women have raised alarms in Norway. The images, published by the magazine Se og Hør, show the princess walking around the Skaugum palace with oxygen supply, specifically nasal cannula connected to a portable tank carried by her husband.
The images also show two women identified by the Scandinavian magazine as Haakon's former nanny, a woman named Berit Tversland (77), who was like a second mother to the heir and his sister Marta Luisa, and the couples therapistLise Strand Bjarkli (60), whose relationship with Mette-Marit and Haakon is unknown. Bjarkli runs the company Min Livskraft AS, where she offers coaching,therapy, and guidance, as reported by the newspaper Dagbladet. The most popular service is a 90-minute couples therapy for 1,800 crowns (159 euros).
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre referred to the concerning images of the princess with oxygen on television yesterday. "It is a disease that must be taken seriously," he pointed out. Mette-Marit announced before Christmas that she will need a lung transplant in the coming years due to the worsening of her chronic pulmonary fibrosis.
In addition to the princess's health setbacks, the couple faces other serious problems. Shortly before their son Marius's trial for 40 crimes - including four alleged rapes - new messages between Mette-Marit and Jeffrey Epstein emerged, proving that her relationship with the pedophile financier was much closer than previously thought. On Friday, the princess gave an interview on the public broadcaster NRK to provide explanations that have not convinced the Norwegians.
The media has criticized her secrecy regarding the most important questions and expressed their disappointment. Mette-Marit seems to have lost the favor of the Norwegians (almost half believe she should not be queen, according to a survey) but not that of her husband, who has become her strongest support.