Mette-Marit, at 25, a single mother from an ordinary background, first met Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon at the Quart music festival in her hometown of Kristiansand. Their love story captivated the nation but was overshadowed this past year by a scandal that shook the royal family’s reputation, according to reports from Reuters.
In his autobiography, Prince Haakon described his first impression of Mette-Marit, saying, “I simply looked at her. She was like a light.” He ascended to the throne on Friday following the death of his father, King Harald V, with Mette-Marit by his side as queen.
This year, Mette-Marit faced significant scrutiny after new documents released by U.S. authorities revealed her close correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein, the American financier who died by suicide in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking and other charges.
A Royal Scandal in Norway
The release of millions of documents related to Epstein by the U.S. Department of Justice in late January sent shockwaves worldwide, exposing the financier’s connections with influential figures, including Mette-Marit, as well as high-ranking Norwegian politicians, corporate executives, and diplomats.
In an emotional interview with Norwegian public broadcaster NRK in March, Mette-Marit stated, “I was manipulated and deceived.” While prior reports had suggested her ties to Epstein, new documents indicated a deeper relationship, prompting unusual criticism from Norway’s Prime Minister and calls for a full account of her interactions.
“Of course, I wish I had never met him,” she remarked about Epstein.
Records reveal that Mette-Marit maintained contact with Epstein between 2011 and 2014 and spent four days at his Palm Beach residence during a private trip in 2013.
She recounted, “He exploited the fact that we had a mutual friend and that I am naive. I like to believe the best in people. But I also chose to cut off contact with him.” In her interview, she affirmed, “I never saw anything illegal.”
The New King Supports His Wife Amid Controversy
However, the Epstein documents appeared to contradict a 2019 statement in which Mette-Marit apologized for not investigating Epstein’s past and claimed she would never have associated with him had she known the seriousness of his crimes. In an email from October 2011, three years after Epstein pleaded guilty to earlier charges in the U.S., Mette-Marit wrote that she had Googled him and found that his past “did not look good,” followed by a smiling emoticon.
When questioned by NRK in March about that email, she stated she did not remember the reason for writing it. “But if I had found information that made me understand he was an abuser and a sex offender, I wouldn’t have put a smiling emoticon after that,” she explained.
Haakon stood by her side, expressing support during the difficult time, emphasizing that their marriage is for both “good days and bad days.” This statement followed polls indicating that trust in the royal family had plummeted to an all-time low.
A Love Story That Captured Norway’s Hearts Despite Mette-Marit’s Past
Things weren’t always so contentious. After their initial meeting in 1999 at the music festival, Haakon and Mette-Marit managed to meet secretly for a few months before news broke in the press.
Mette-Marit told journalists, “What happened between Haakon and me happened between two ordinary people,” rejecting early attempts to portray her as a “Cinderella” figure.
The media also delved into less favorable aspects of her past, scrutinizing her lifestyle during her time within Norway’s house music scene and questioning the appropriateness of someone with her background entering the royal family. Haakon and his father, King Harald, who also married a commoner, stood by her. Yet, questions regarding her past were only the first in a series of painful confrontations between her private and public life.
“The discomfort from that year is still with me. To feel hunted is an overwhelming feeling,” she reportedly said in Haakon’s autobiography.
“I can promise you, there is nothing romantic about having your laundry aired in public. It is horrible,” she added.
The Queen Who Led a “Fairly Crazy” Life
Born Mette-Marit Tjessem Hoiby on August 19, 1973, in Kristiansand, the new queen is the daughter of a journalist and a bank employee. Her parents divorced when she was a child, and she lived with her mother and siblings.
Reflecting on her formative years, Mette-Marit told journalists in 2001, “At that time, for me, it was important to live against what was accepted. That made me lead a rather crazy life.” She noted, “I was in an environment where things were tested and I pushed the limits.”
She married Prince Haakon that same year and initially found it difficult to adapt to her new role. Over time, she became more comfortable and began to embrace her identity, according to Trond Noren Isaksen, a historian who has written extensively about the Norwegian monarchy.
Her strengths lie in her “great warmth” and ability to connect with people, Isaksen explained. She became simply known as Mette-Marit, as the royal family does not use surnames.
From 2000 to 2002, she studied ethics at the University of Oslo and later attended the School of Oriental and African Studies in London in 2003, focusing on international development, HIV/AIDS, and refugee issues. She also promoted Norwegian authors like Karl Ove Knausgaard abroad and encouraged children to read.
Adapting to life as a royal, she became the patron of several charities, participated in events, and raised her children – her firstborn, Marius Borg Hoiby, and her children with Haakon, Ingrid Alexandra, second in line to the throne, and Sverre Magnus.
Health Issues and a Son Convicted of Rape
The Epstein scandal erupted as her eldest son, Marius, 29, faced trial for rape and domestic violence. He denied the charges but admitted to lesser offenses.
In June, he was found guilty on two of four counts of rape and one count of domestic violence, receiving a four-year prison sentence. Both he and prosecutors have appealed the ruling.
Mette-Marit has refrained from making any public statements regarding the trial, allowing her husband to speak to the press.
Alongside these challenges, Mette-Marit has been grappling with serious health issues that have necessitated a reduction in her workload. She suffers from chronic pulmonary fibrosis, a condition that affects her breathing and leaves her fatigued.
Two days after Marius’s conviction, the royal palace announced that Mette-Marit had successfully undergone a lung transplant, although it did not specify when the procedure took place. After several weeks of recovery in the hospital, she returned home and celebrated her silver anniversary with Haakon in August.
