by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2013
Credit – Royal House of Norway
Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby was born August 19, 1973, in Kristiansand, Norway, the daughter of journalist Sven Høiby and Marit Tjessem. She attended secondary school in Kristiansand and Australia, followed by some courses at Agder University College.
She has a son from a previous relationship, Marius Borg Høiby, born in 1997. She first briefly met Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon, son of King Harald V and Sonja Haraldsen, at a music festival in the mid-1990s. The two met again in 1999 and began a relationship. When their engagement was announced in late 2000, it was not without controversy. She was a commoner, with a child born out of wedlock, surrounded by rumors of a party-girl past and alleged drug use. The couple was also living together which didn’t sit well with the church. Public support for the monarchy suffered, and there were calls for Haakon to relinquish his place in succession if he chose to marry Mette-Marit. The couple did, however, have the support of the King and Queen, and after a series of public interviews, they also regained the support of the Norwegian people.
Mette-Marit and Haakon were married on August 25, 2001, at the Oslo Cathedral, in the presence of their families and friends as well as a number of European royals. Following the marriage, Mette-Marit became Her Royal Highness The Crown Princess of Norway.
In addition to Mette-Marit’s son Marius, the couple has two children:
- Princess Ingrid Alexandra (born 2004)
- Prince Sverre Magnus (born 2005)
In 2003, Mette-Marit attended the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, where she took examinations in Development-Experience, Theories of Development, HIV/AIDS and Development and The Global Refugee Crisis. She then spent three months as an observer at the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation where she focused on HIV/AIDS issues. In the autumn of 2008, Mette-Marit began studying part-time at BI Norwegian School of Management in Oslo, where she completed her Master’s degree in Management in 2012.
Mette-Marit is a patron of:
- Agder Academy of Sciences and Letters
- Amandus Film Festival
- FOKUS – Forum for Women and Development
- Full-rigged Ship Sørlandet
- Kristiansand International Children’s Film Festival
- Oslo International Church Music Festival
- Risør Festival of Chamber Music
- The Hamsun Days
- The Førde International Folk Music Festival
- The Norwegian Council for Mental Health
- The Norwegian Girl’s Choir
- The Norwegian Guide and Scout Association
- The Norwegian Library Association
- The Norwegian Red Cross
It was announced on October 24, 2018, that Crown Princess Mette-Marit was diagnosed with chronic pulmonary fibrosis, a respiratory disease in which scars are formed in the lung tissue, leading to serious breathing problems. There is no known cure for the scars and damage in the lungs due to pulmonary fibrosis. Life expectancy is generally less than five years. In a statement, the Crown Princess said, “For a number of years, I have had health challenges on a regular basis, and now we know more about the cause. The condition means that my ability to work will vary. The Crown Prince and I chose to disclose this now because in the future there will be a need to plan periods without official programs. This may occur during treatments and when the disease is more active.”
This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.