Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway
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| Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway | |
| Born | August 19, 1973 (age 33) |
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| Title | Crown Princess of Norway |
| Spouse | Haakon Magnus, Crown Prince of Norway |
| Children | Marius Borg Høiby, HRH Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Prince Sverre Magnus |
Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway (born Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby in Kristiansand, Norway, on 19 August 1973), is the wife of HRH Crown Prince Haakon.
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[edit] Background and education
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Crown Princess Mette-Marit is the daughter of journalist Sven O. Høiby and Marit Tjessem, his ex-wife. The crown princess has a sister and two older brothers, and grew up in Kristiansand, in the southern part of Norway. She spent many weekends and holidays in the nearby valley of Setesdal and at the seaside, where she learned to sail. During her youth she was active in the local youth club Slettheia, where she was also an activity leader. As a teenager she played volleyball, qualifying as referee and coach.
After starting at Oddernes upper secondary school in Kristiansand, Mette-Marit spent six months at Wangaratta High School in Australia, as an exchange student with the exchange organization Youth For Understanding. Later, she attended Kristiansand Katedralskole, where she passed her final examinations in 1994. After another break from her studies, Mette-Marit attended Bjørknes Private School and then took the examen philosophicum (the preliminary university examination) at Agder University College.
By her own admission, Mette-Marit experienced an unconventional phase before she met Crown Prince Haakon Magnus. As a part-time student, she took longer than usual to complete her high school education before going on to take preparatory university courses at Agder. She then worked for a year at a café in Oslo.
In the late 1990's, Mette-Marit frequently attended the Quart Festival, Norway's largest rock festival, in her hometown of Kristiansand. As a result, she met Crown Prince Haakon, since he used to attend the festival as well. They were introduced by mutual friends.
| Styles of Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway |
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| Reference style | Her Royal Highness |
| Spoken style | Your Royal Highness |
| Alternative style | Ma'am |
[edit] Courtship and marriage
Although King Harald had earlier broken with custom by marrying the commoner Sonja Haraldsen, the relationship between the crown prince and Mette-Marit sparked controversy. Many felt that Mette-Marit's past (which included a relationship with a man convicted on drug charges), her status as an unwed mother, and the couple's choice to live together before being married, would damage the dignity and the image of the royal family. Although few expressed personal criticism of Mette-Marit, her introduction into the monarchy led to a debate about the standards for royalty in Norway. The controversy largely dissipated once the couple were engaged and then married. The new biography on the King revealed that the couple was permitted to live together before marriage for security reasons.
Her first official appearance as the intended bride of the Crown Prince was at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony at Oslo City Hall on 10 December 2000, following the announcement of the couple's engagement on 1 December.
The couple married on 25 August 2001 at the Oslo Cathedral, Oslo, with attendance of royalty from around the world. Upon her marriage she acquired the title HRH Crown Princess Mette-Marit.[1] They now live at Skaugum estate, outside Oslo.
[edit] Children
Before her marriage to Crown Prince Haakon, Mette-Marit gave birth to a son out of wedlock on 13 January 1997, Marius Borg Høiby, whose father is Morten Borg, a convicted criminal. As such he is the stepson of Crown Prince Haakon, and elder half-brother of Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus. There has been some controversy surrounding the conduct of the press around Marius. In a relatively unusual case of outspokenness, the crown princess has asked them to respect her son's privacy. Marius currently attends 4th grade in a public elementary school in Asker, Norway.
On 21 January 2004, Mette-Marit gave birth to a daughter, HRH Princess Ingrid Alexandra, who became second in line to the Norwegian throne after her father, Crown Prince Haakon.
Mette-Marit gave birth to her third child, Prince Sverre Magnus, on 3 December 2005. He is third in the line to the Norwegian throne after his sister, Princess Ingrid Alexandra. However, in the line of succession to the British throne, he is placed before his sister due to the system of male-preference primogeniture.
[edit] Royal duties and further education
In October 2005 she accompanied Crown Prince Haakon, King Harald and Queen Sonja to the United Kingdom on a royal tour to mark the centenary of Norway's independence.
During 2002 and 2003 she undertook development studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, apparently without graduating. She was also accepted as an intern at NORAD, the Norwegian government's development organization. At present Mette-Marit is attending lectures at the faculties of arts and social sciences at the University of Oslo.
The Crown Princess is a UNAIDS Special Representative and visited Geneva to learn more about the organisation and Malawi because of this post. The Crown Princess and her husband attended the International AIDS Conference in Toronto in August of 2006 as part of this role. [2]
Along with UNAIDS, the Crown Princess is patron of various other organizations. They are the The Norwegian Scouting Association, the Amandus Film Festival, Kristiansand's International Children's Film Festival, Risor Festival of Chamber Music, FOKUS Forum for Women and Development Questions, Norwegian Design Council, Red Cross Norway, The Norwegian Council for Mental Health, the Full Rigged Ship Sorlandet, and the Oslo International Church Music Festival.
Since her engagement, the Crown Princess has traveled to Luxembourg, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Spain, Denmark, Germany, Canada, Russia, the United States, Poland, Switzerland, India, Thailand, the Netherlands, Malawi, and Iceland for official visits, as well as various royal events such as weddings and funerals.
She is godmother to two royal children, Prince Christian of Denmark, and Prince Odysseas Kimon of Greece.
[edit] External links
- Official biography
- Palace reacts to lies about Marius from the newspaper Aftenposten.
- German magazines have been reprimanded by the national press committee A collection of information and links on a homepage.
