Palace shares heartbreaking news about Crown Princess

Palace has shared shocking news about Norway's Crown Princess as her health condition deteriorates.

Mette-Marit will step back from royal responsibilities as her Illness advances, the Royal House of Norway announced on March 6.

The 51-year-old will be shifting her royal responsibilities as her chronic "pulmonary fibrosis has progressed," said the Palace.

 "The Crown Princess has daily symptoms and ailments that affect her ability to perform her duties. The Crown Princess needs more rest, and her daily routine changes more quickly than before," the statement continued.

It added: "This means that changes to her official schedule may occur more frequently, and at shorter notice than we are used to."

"The Crown Princess has a strong desire to continue working, and therefore we will organize her official program in the future in the best possible way so that her health and work can be combined," the royal house concluded.

She became a working member of the Norwegian royal family upon her marriage to Crown Prince Haakon in 2001. 

The couple share Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 21 and Prince Sverre Magnus, 19, plus Mette-Marit's son Marius Borg Høiby, 28, who she welcomed during a previous relationship prior to her marriage.

The Mayo Clinic, as reported by People, defines chronic pulmonary fibrosis as a lung disease that occurs when lung tissue becomes scarred, making it more difficult for the lungs to work properly. It can worsen over time and can be difficult for doctors to identify the cause of the problem.