Tough Times: Royals Facing Serious Illnesses

In 2018, Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway went public with her chronic pulmonary fibrosis. As reported by Blick, she was increasingly dependent on oxygen support in her daily life. In late 2025, the Norwegian Royal Palace announced that a lung transplant would be necessary. Following the procedure, which took place in early 2026 as hoped, she recovered at Rikshospitalet in Oslo from the surgery, which was described as life-saving.

In 2003, King Harald V of Norway was diagnosed with bladder cancer. The treatment was successful, allowing the monarch to subsequently return to his official duties. The diagnosis marked the beginning of a series of health challenges that would accompany the king in the decades that followed. In 2005, for example, Harald V underwent his first open-heart surgery, followed by another procedure on his heart valves in 2020. In 2024, the monarch also received a pacemaker. In February 2026, he had to be hospitalized briefly for treatment of an infection and dehydration. Despite these repeated setbacks, the king continues to carry out his representative duties.

Queen Margrethe of Denmark underwent heart surgery in 2026. The former monarch, who had handed the throne over to her son Frederik in 2024, has made fewer public appearances since then. The procedure drew international sympathy but received little medical commentary. After the surgery, Margrethe gradually resumed attending select public events.

In late 2022, Thai Princess Bajrakitiyabha fell into a coma. The Royal Palace announced that multiple infections affecting various organs had caused her condition to deteriorate further in the years that followed. According to official reports, her health remained critical through 2024. In 2026, the Palace announced that the princess had died at the age of 47 as a result of her illness.

In early 2024, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles III had been diagnosed with cancer. The monarch subsequently temporarily scaled back his public engagements but gradually resumed them after beginning treatment. The diagnosis sparked an outpouring of sympathy worldwide and once again drew attention to health issues within the British royal family. Charles continued to carry out his official duties despite his illness, with an adjusted schedule.

Kate, Princess of Wales, also announced in 2024 that she had been diagnosed with cancer. She largely withdrew from public life for the duration of her chemotherapy. In the fall of that same year, Kensington Palace announced that her treatment had been completed. Since then, the princess has gradually resumed her official engagements.

Queen Sonja of Norway was hospitalized at Rikshospitalet in 2026 at the age of 88 due to atrial fibrillation and heart failure. After her medication was stabilized, she was discharged from the hospital on May 28. Her hospitalization was one of a series of health incidents involving the Norwegian royal family that same year. For decades, the queen has been regarded as a pillar of the Oslo royal court.

In 1966, Queen Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the British Queen Mother, was diagnosed with cancer for the first time and received treatment. A second diagnosis followed in 1984, which was also successfully treated. Despite these health setbacks, the Queen Mother remained active in public life well into her old age. She died in 2002 at the age of 101 and is still considered one of the longest-lived members of the British royal family.