Viewers Criticize TV4 for "Tasteless" Hospital Photo of Crown Princess Mette-Marit

Swedish broadcaster TV4 is under fire from viewers for publishing a photograph of Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit taken inside a hospital following her lung transplant. The image, which appears to have been surreptitiously captured through a window, was posted on the TV4 Nyheterna Instagram account and featured in a television news report.

Many viewers expressed outrage in the comments section of the Instagram post. One commenter called the act "very tasteless!" while others urged for the princess to be left alone. Another follower wrote, "It's incredibly low of @tv4nyheterna to photograph a sick person through a window without asking for permission to be in the picture."

Crown Princess Mette-Marit recently underwent a lung transplant due to lung fibrosis. TV4 is reportedly the only Swedish media outlet to publish a photo of her taken after the operation. Fredrick Malmberg, TV4's responsible publisher, defended the decision, stating, "It is clear that it is not easy to publish a picture taken in a hospital. We still think the picture itself has a high public interest."

Malmberg added that while the operation was reportedly successful, the image provides visual confirmation. He also pointed out that Mette-Marit is not a private individual in the usual sense, being part of the royal family. He argued that the royal family's openness about her illness and the need for a lung transplant justified the publication, contrasting it with a situation where the family wished to keep the matter entirely private. He believes the public's concern about her recovery fuels this "irrefutable public interest."

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It is clear that it is not easy to publish a picture taken in a hospital. We still think the picture itself has a high public interest.