Crown Princess Mette-Marit extends sick leave as she battles chronic illness

Crown Princess Mette-Marit won't be returning to official duties as planned this week, extending her sick leave due to complications from medication she is taking.The 51-year-old is suffering a number of side effects from the drugs used to treat chronic lung disease, which she was diagnosed with in 2018.The Norwegian royal household confirmed the setback in a statement.READ MORE: Queen Mary spotted in Sydney during top secret visit to AustraliaIt said: "Due to side effects of the medicines the Crown Princess must take for her chronic lung disease, the sick leave has been extended, initially until [November 5].""Program items during the period will be cancelled or postponed."Crown Princess Mette-Marit was in Germany briefly last week, attending an event with Denmark's King Frederik and Queen Mary and Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel in Berlin.She was expected to resume her work on Wednesday but will be out of the public eye until at least next week.The development comes just days after there were calls for the royal to be questioned by police about her son Marius Borg Høiby's arrest and domestic violence charges.A lawyer representing one of the alleged victims believes the Crown Princess could help "shed new light on the case against her son".READ MORE: Royal family emerging from 'challenging year' but one big issue remainsIt's been a tough few months for Crown Princess Mette-Marit and her husband and Norway's future King, Crown Prince Haakon.The pair was dragged into the scandal involving Høiby in early August, which was closely followed by the controversial wedding of Haakon's sister Princess Märtha Louise to American shaman Durek Verrett which the Norwegian royal family attended.She and the Crown Prince have two children together – Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 20, and Prince Sverre Magnus, 19.The Crown Princess is now using her extended sick leave to rest.In 2019, she spoke with Norwegian television network NRK about her diagnosis the year before.READ MORE: King Charles and Queen Camilla make luxury spa stop after royal visitMette-Marit had announced she was suffering from a rare chronic lung disease known as pulmonary fibrosis.The condition causes scarring on the lungs and makes breathing increasingly difficult."I am exhausted faster than before, so today I have to take more care of myself than I did before," the then-46-year-old said.She has been forced by her medical team to take extended leave in the past, to cope with the side effects of the drugs used to treat the condition."I can decide more about my everyday life and I realise how good it is to me, I can just go for a walk and have more time to read, life has slowed down," Mette-Marit said."I am well aware of my state of health, but I do not want him [the disease] to get so much attention from outside, which is one of the reasons why I like my 'new little life' so much."For a daily dose of 9honey, subscribe to our newsletter here.In an official statement released by the Norwegian royal family in 2018, Mette-Marit said: "Although such a diagnosis will limit my life at times, I'm glad that the disease has been discovered so early."She said: "My goal is still to work and participate in the official programme as much as possible."FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.