Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway

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Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway (born Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby, Template:IPA, on 19 August 1973) is a member of the Norwegian royal family. She has been married to Crown Prince Haakon, the heir apparent to the Norwegian throne, since 2001. The couple have two children, Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus. A onetime Norwegian commoner and former single mother, Mette-Marit was a controversial figure at the time of her engagement to Haakon in 2000. She became a UNAIDS International Goodwill Ambassador in 2006.

Early life, education, and early career

Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby was born a commoner<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> in Kristiansand in the southern part of Norway. She is the daughter of Sven O. Høiby, a former small-scale advertiser and journalist, and Marit Tjessem, a former bank clerk. Her father was also a convicted felon who had twice been convicted of violence.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Her parents divorced, and her father later married professional stripper Renate Barsgård.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She has a sister and two older brothers, including Per Høiby. Trond Berntsen, her step-brother by her mother's 1994 marriage to Rolf Berntsen, died in the 2011 Norway attacks.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Most of her ancestors were cotters and small farmers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

After starting at Oddernes upper secondary school in Kristiansand, Mette-Marit spent six months at Wangaratta High School located in North East Victoria in Australia as an exchange student with the exchange organisation, Youth For Understanding. Later, she attended Kristiansand Cathedral School, where she passed her final examinations in 1994.Template:Cn She then spent several months working for the Norwegian-British Chamber of Commerce<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Better source at Norway House in Cockspur Street, London.

As a part-time student, Mette-Marit took six years--longer than usual--to complete her high school education. She went on to take preparatory college courses at Agder College and worked on and off as a waitress at the restaurant Café Engebret in Oslo.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Mette-Marit has taken several university-level courses.<ref name="degree" /> During 2002 and 2003, the Crown Princess attended lectures in development studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.<ref name="intern" /> In 2012, she obtained a master's degree in executive management.<ref name="degree">Template:Cite web</ref>

Personal and family life

Template:See also By her own admission, Mette-Marit experienced a rebellious phase before she met Crown Prince Haakon.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She was known by the nickname "Sørlandsporten" because she was from Sørlandet and was considered a "party girl" who had a series of relationships with men in Oslo's drug scene.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

During the 1990s, Mette-Marit was in a relationship with John Ognby, a man convicted of drug-related offenses.<ref name=nettavisen-vf>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Multiple sources:

</ref> Their relationship progressed to the point where they had purchased a wedding dress.<ref name=fvn-is/>

Mette-Marit has a son named Marius Borg Høiby, born 13 January 1997.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> His father is Morten Borg,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> who is a convicted felon and one of Ognby's close friends.<ref name=fvn-is>Template:Cite news</ref> Mette-Marit and Morten Borg were never in a relationship.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> At the time of Høiby's birth, Borg was in prison for drug-related violent crimes.<ref name=":0"/> From 1997 to 1998, Mette-Marit lived with her son and with her then-partner, a disc jockey.<ref name=MelnæsBiography/> From 1998 to 1999, she lived in Kristiansand with her son and with another disc jockey with whom she was in a relationship.<ref name=MelnæsBiography>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=":0" />

In the 1990s, Mette-Marit attended the Quart Festival, Norway's largest music festival, in her hometown of Kristiansand. She met Crown Prince Haakon at a garden party during the Quart Festival season. Years later, after becoming a mother, she met the prince again at another party related to the festival.<ref name=fvn2006>Template:Cite news</ref> Haakon and Mette-Marit announced their engagement in December 2000.<ref name="engage">Template:Cite web</ref> Prior to their wedding, Haakon and Mette-Marit resided together in Oslo.<ref name=hello />

Mette-Marit and Haakon married on 25 August 2001 at the Oslo Cathedral.<ref name="vanity">Template:Cite web</ref> The couple have two children together: Princess Ingrid Alexandra, born 21 January 2004 and Prince Sverre Magnus, born 3 December 2005.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In October 2018, Mette-Marit was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She indicated that she would undergo treatment for pulmonary fibrosis at Oslo University Hospital.<ref name="bbc.com">Template:Cite web</ref> Mette-Marit has dealt with "health challenges on a regular basis"; those challenges have included pneumonia, several instances of norovirus, low blood pressure, falls, concussions, a neck injury and a herniated disc.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On 18 August 2025, Marius Høiby was charged with 32 different offenses, including the rapes of four different women as well as acts of violence against two former partners.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The media claimed that Høiby and his family have received preferential treatment from police.<ref name=NotifyingCrown>Template:Cite web</ref> Mette-Marit has been accused of warning her son about his impending arrest and of evidence tampering and witness tampering.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Høiby case has been described in Norwegian media as one of the most extensive rape investigations in recent years.<ref>Multiple sources:

</ref>

Public life

Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Crown Prince Haakon in 2010

When the engagement between Crown Prince Haakon and Mette-Marit was announced in 2000,<ref name="engage" /> public and media reaction was negative, with many Norwegians being "horrified"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Better source and feeling that the Crown Prince's choice of partner was questionable. Mette-Marit's lack of education, previous relationships with convicted felons and socialization in a milieu "where drugs were readily available" were often cited by critics.<ref name=nyt1>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=bbc2>Template:Cite news</ref> King Harald's older sister Princess Ragnhild said her father, King Olav, never would have allowed the Crown Prince to marry Mette-Marit, and also said she felt sorry for Mette-Marit's son, Marius Høiby, who would not have a royal title.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The couple's eight-month-long engagement included a period of cohabitation in an Oslo apartment, which met with the disapproval of the conservative Church of Norway.<ref name=hello>Template:Cite news</ref> The issue of Mette-Marit's past was an ongoing discussion in Norwegian public discourse in the early years after her engagement and marriage to Prince Haakon.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Haakon is the heir apparent to the Norwegian throne.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Upon her 2001 marriage to Haakon, Mette-Marit acquired the title "Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess of Norway".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Princess Ingrid Alexandra, the daughter of Haakon and Mette-Marit, is second in line to the throne of Norway.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Prince Sverre Magnus, the son of Haakon and Mette-Marit, is third in line to the throne of Norway.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Crown Princess Mette-Marit was accepted as an intern at NORAD, the Norwegian government's development organization. The appointment received criticism due to her lack of relevant qualifications.<ref name="intern">Template:Cite news</ref>

A 2007 TV2 documentary entitled Mette-Marit – vår tids Askepott focused on Mette-Marit's past.<ref name=nettavisen-vf/>

Crown Princess Mette-Marit is a patron of the Norwegian Red Cross and several other organizations.<ref name="Norwegian Royal House">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Better source In 2010, Crown Princess Mette-Marit was named Young Global Leader under the World Economic Forum, and in 2012 she became a member of the international Foundation Board of the Global Shapers Community.<ref name="Norwegian Royal House"/>Template:Better source

In 2012, she attracted controversy for assisting a Norwegian couple with ties to the royal family in procuring surrogacy services in India, despite surrogacy being banned in Norway; she was criticized by women's rights groups who accused her of participating in human trafficking that exploits women in developing countries.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="ottar">Menneskehandel med diplomatpass Template:Webarchive, Klassekampen, 10 December 2012</ref> The next year, the practice was also banned in India as a form of human trafficking and harmful to women and children.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name ="TimmsOlinda2018">Template:Cite journal</ref>

In 2015, Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Kate Roberts, senior vice-president of Population Services International, established Maverick Collective. On 26 April 2017, the Crown Princess was appointed as ambassador for Norwegian literature in the international arena.<ref name="Norwegian Royal House"/>

Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit established The Crown Prince and Crown Princess's Foundation. The purpose of the foundation is to identify and support projects for young people in Norway with the objective of strengthening youth leadership and integration.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Better source

Following a challenging year in 2024, Mette-Marit's popularity dropped significantly, with only 27% of Norwegians approving of her as a future queen.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The 2024Template:Endash2025 criminal case involving Mette-Marit's son, Marius Høiby, together with the controversy surrounding the King's son-in-law Durek Verrett, have been cited as contributing to a decline in the Norwegian royal family's reputation and increased debate about the future of the monarchy in Norway.<ref>Multiple sources:

</ref><ref name="auto">Template:Cite news</ref>

Friendship with Jeffrey Epstein

In 2019, Mette-Marit attracted controversy for her friendship with the American convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein; she met him several times between 2011 and 2013, after his conviction on charges of sex trafficking of minors in 2008 and release from prison. Crown Prince Haakon also met Epstein during one of these occasions while the couple were on a holiday in Saint Barthélemy.<ref name="dn">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="dagbladet">Deres kongelige lukkethet Template:Webarchive, Dagbladet</ref><ref name="Dagsavisen">Skurrende slottssignaler Template:Webarchive, Dagsavisen</ref> Her friendship with Epstein was revealed by Norwegian media in the context of the scandal involving the then Prince Andrew, who in that year resigned from all public roles over his longstanding ties to Epstein and allegations of sexual abuse. In a statement, Mette-Marit spoke of her regret in failing to investigate Epstein's past. The Royal Palace's communications manager Guri Varpe stated that she ceased contact with Epstein as he was attempting to use his connection to her to "influence other people."<ref name="dn" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

UNAIDS

Crown Princess Mette-Marit became a UNAIDS International Goodwill Ambassador in 2006. Her focus as goodwill ambassador is on the empowerment of youth in the AIDS response. The Crown Princess participated in several international AIDS conferences and visited several countries to raise awareness of the work and mission of UNAIDS.<ref name="unaids">Template:Cite web</ref> In later years, her work with UNAIDS expanded to highlighting the role of young women and adolescent girls in the AIDS response.<ref name="unaids16">Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Better source

At the 2014 United Nations General Assembly, Mette-Marit emphasized how stigma and discrimination are undermining advances in the AIDS response.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> During a visit to Mali, the Crown Princess highlighted the opportunities offered by social media to empower young people in new areas of advocacy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> While visiting Tanzania in April 2016, Mette-Marit remarked that it was rewarding to see young skilled people in leadership roles of AIDS response and guiding the country towards an AIDS-free generation.<ref name="unaids16"/> She opened the Youth Pavilion at the XVIII International AIDS Conference.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Titles, styles and honours

Titles

  • 19 August 1973 – 25 August 2001: Miss Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • 25 August 2001 – present: Her Royal Highness The Crown Princess of Norway<ref name="royalcourt.no">Template:Cite web</ref>

Arms

<ref name="royalcourt.no"/>

Honours and medals

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National honours and medals

Foreign honours

References

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Template:Norwegian princessesTemplate:Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking scandalTemplate:Authority control

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