Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway

Early life, education, and early career

Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby was born a commoner in Kristiansand in the southern part of Norway. She is the daughter of Sven O. Høiby, who had been unemployed for some time but who had previously worked as a small-scale advertiser and journalist for a local paper in his hometown of Kristiansand, and Marit Tjessem, a former bank clerk. Her father was also a felon who had twice been convicted of violence. Her parents divorced, and her father later married professional stripper Renate Barsgård. 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. Most of her ancestors were cotters and small farmers.

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. She then spent several months working for the Norwegian-British Chamber of Commerce 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.

Mette-Marit has taken several university-level courses. 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. In 2012, she obtained a master's degree in executive management.

Public life

When the engagement between Crown Prince Haakon and Mette-Marit was announced in 2000, public and media reaction was negative, with many Norwegians being "horrified" 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.

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. 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.

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

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.

A 2007 TV2 documentary entitled Mette-Marit – vår tids Askepott focused on Mette-Marit's past.

Mette-Marit is a patron of the Norwegian Red Cross and several other organizations. 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.

In 2012, Mette-Marit 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. The next year, the practice was also banned in India as a form of human trafficking and harmful to women and children.

In 2015, 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.

Haakon and 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.

Polls have found Mette-Marit to be relatively unpopular. She is often criticized for her preference for expensive luxury items, for "extravagant spending", and for accepting lavish gifts.

Following a challenging year in 2024, Mette-Marit's popularity dropped significantly, with only 27% of Norwegians approving of her as a future queen. The 20242025 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.Multiple sources:

UNAIDS

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. In later years, her work with UNAIDS expanded to highlighting the role of young women and adolescent girls in the AIDS response.

At the 2014 United Nations General Assembly, Mette-Marit emphasized how stigma and discrimination are undermining advances in the AIDS response. During a visit to Mali, the Crown Princess highlighted the opportunities offered by social media to empower young people in new areas of advocacy. 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. She opened the Youth Pavilion at the XVIII International AIDS Conference.

Personal and family life

Relationships and marriage

By her own admission, Mette-Marit experienced a rebellious phase before she met Crown Prince Haakon. 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.

During the 1990s, Mette-Marit was in a relationship with John Ognby, a man convicted of drug-related offenses.Multiple sources:

Their relationship progressed to the point where they had purchased a wedding dress.

From 1997 to 1998, Mette-Marit lived with her son, Marius Høiby, and her then-partner, a disc jockey. From 1998 to 1999, she lived in Kristiansand with her son and with another disc jockey with whom she was in a relationship.{{cite book

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. Haakon and Mette-Marit announced their engagement in December 2000. Prior to their wedding, Haakon and Mette-Marit resided together in Oslo.

Mette-Marit and Haakon married on 25 August 2001 at the Oslo Cathedral.

Children

Mette-Marit and Haakon have two children together: Princess Ingrid Alexandra, born 21 January 2004 and Prince Sverre Magnus, born 3 December 2005.

Mette-Marit has a son named Marius Borg Høiby, born 13 January 1997. His father is Morten Borg, who is a convicted felon and a close friend of Mette-Marit's onetime partner, John Ognby. Mette-Marit and Morten Borg were never in a relationship. At the time of Høiby's birth, Borg was in prison for drug-related violent crimes.

On 18 August 2025, Marius Høiby was charged with 32 different offenses, including the rapes of four different women and acts of violence against two former partners. The media claimed that Høiby and his family have received preferential treatment from police. Mette-Marit has been accused of warning her son about his impending arrest and of evidence tampering and witness tampering; however, charges have not been filed. The Høiby case has been described in Norwegian media as one of the most extensive rape investigations in recent years.Multiple sources:

Health

In October 2018, Mette-Marit was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis. She indicated that she would undergo treatment for pulmonary fibrosis at Oslo University Hospital. 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.

In December 2025, the palace revealed that Mette-Marit's pulmonary fibrosis was approaching a point where she would require a lung transplant.

Friendship with Jeffrey Epstein

Main article: Relationship of Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway, and Jeffrey Epstein

Mette-Marit maintained a close friendship with the American convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein between 2011 and 2014. At the time she entered into a friendship with Epstein, he was referred to by Norwegian media as a "convicted pedophile." She also helped Epstein connect with young women. Norwegian and international media first reported on her ties to Epstein in 2019. At the time it was reported that 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. Her friendship with Epstein was revealed by Norwegian media in the context of the scandal involving then-Prince Andrew, who in that year resigned from all public roles over his longstanding ties to Epstein and allegations of sexual abuse. Mette-Marit minimized the extent of her contact with Epstein, stating that Epstein was "responsible for his own actions."

Titles, styles and honours

Titles

Since her marriage, Mette-Marit has been styled "Her Royal Highness The Crown Princess of Norway".

Arms

File:Coat of Arms of Princes and of Princesses of Norway.svg|Coat of arms File:Royal Monogram of Princess Metta-Merit of Norway.svg|Monogram

Honours and medals

National honours and medals

• Norway: Grand Cross with Collar of the Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav
• Norway: Dame of the Royal Family Decoration of King Harald V
• Norway: Recipient of the Medal of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of King Olav V
• Norway: Recipient of the Royal House Centenary Medal
• Norway: Recipient of the King Harald V Silver Jubilee Medal

Foreign honours

• Austria: Grand Cross, 1st Class of the Order of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria
• Brazil: Grand Cross of the Order of the Southern Cross
• Bulgaria: Grand Cross of the Order of the Balkan Mountains
• Denmark: Knight of the Order of the Elephant
• Estonia: Grand Cross of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana
• Estonia: Grand Cross of the Order of the White Star
• Finland: Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose of Finland
• France: Grand Officer of the National Order of the Legion of Honour (23 June 2025)
• Germany: Grand Cross, 1st Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
• Iceland: Grand Cross of the Order of the Falcon
• Italy: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
• Japan: Paulownia Dame Grand Cordon of the Order of the Precious Crown
• Latvia: Grand Cross of the Order of the Cross of Recognition
• Lithuania: Grand Cross of the Order of Vytautas the Great
• Luxembourg: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Adolphe of Nassau
• Netherlands: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau
• Netherlands: Recipient of the King Willem-Alexander Inauguration Medal
• Poland: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland
• Portugal: Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Henry
• Spain: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic
• Sweden: Member Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Polar Star

References

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