Norwegian princess injured in ski accident

Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit reportedly fractured her tailbone in a ski accident just before Christmas.

Norwegian magazine Se & Hør confirmed the news on Tuesday, revealing the incident took place on December 21. According to the publication, the 47-year-old was jumping out of a ski lift with her daughter Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 16, when the accident occurred.

Their skis reportedly hooked together, resulting in Mette-Marit losing her balance and falling to the ground. The princess is said to have suffered a fracture in her tailbone as a result of the fall and was transported to a nearby hospital where she spent one night.

The news comes more than a year after it was revealed the princess had been diagnosed with chronic lung disease. Pulmonary fibrosis causes a person’s lungs to become scarred and makes breathing increasingly difficult over time. The disease usually affects people aged 50 to 70, making the princess’s diagnosis particularly rare.

At the time, Mette-Marit released a personal statement saying, “For a number of years, I have had health challenges on a regular basis, and now we know more about what these are.”

The royal said she and her husband Crown Prince Haakon decided to make her diagnosis public as her royal schedule would need to be adjusted to account for future treatment and daily management of her condition.

“Although such a diagnosis in time will limit my life, I’m glad that the disease has been discovered so early,” she continued. “My goal is still to work and participate in the official program as much as possible.”

Meanwhile, in a seperate statement, the royal court said it’s “not yet clear” whether her fibrosis is connected to “a more extensive autoimmune disease process” or other underlying causes.

Princess Mette-Marit met Prince Haakon in 1999. At the time, she was a single mother to son Marius, now 23. The couple announced their engagement the following year, and married in 2001. They have since welcomed two children, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 16, and Prince Sverre Magnus, 15.