At a glance…
- King Haakon VIII and Queen Mette-Marit are Norway’s new King and Queen.
- Their relationship was controversial from the beginning, with Mette-Marit’s status as a single mother and her past receiving intense scrutiny before their marriage at Oslo Cathedral on August 25, 2001.
- They became King and Queen on August 28, 2026, following the death of Haakon’s father, King Harald V, after more than 25 years of marriage.
Following the death of King Harald V of Norway, his son, now King Haakon VIII, has officially taken on the top job, with his daughter, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, by his side.
“I promise and swear that I will govern the kingdom of Norway in accordance with its constitution and laws, so help me God, the almighty and omniscient,” said Haakon to the assembled members of parliament in the subdued ascension, as is the Norwegian tradition.
Notably missing from the assembly was his wife, now Queen Mette-Marit. She was in recovery from a lung transplant and is much maligned in Norwegian public sentiment. A recent poll showed that 47.6 per cent of Norwegians believed she should not become queen, while only 28.9 per cent supported her future reign. This could be partly due to her son from a previous relationship, Marius Borg Høiby, who has been convicted of sexual assault; the conviction is being appealed, and also due to her former friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.
“It is important for me to say I am sorry to all those I have disappointed,” Mette-Marit said in a statement following the revelation of her years-long friendship with Epstein. “Some of the content in the messages between Epstein and me does not represent the person I want to be.”
Although involved in the funeral procedures of his step-grandfather, Marius is not an official member of the royal family. In a previous statement from the palace, the Crown Prince clarified that he is “a citizen of Norway and, as such, has the same responsibilities as everyone else — as well as the same rights.”
Mette-Marit and Marius both attended the removal of King Harald to the Red Salon. Marius was one of the pallbearers, and Mette-Marit supported her mother-in-law, Queen Sonja, holding her hand through the funerary procession of her husband.
On the day of King Harald’s funeral, they were also in attendance. However, Queen Mette-Marit did not walk with the King – as he walked ahead with Crown Princess Ingrid. Marius was also there, but he did not stand with his mother and stepfather. Instead, he gathered with his royal step-cousins Emma Tallulah Behn, Maud Angelica Behn and Leah Isadora Behn – daughters of Princess Märtha Louise of Norway.
The origins of the relationship with Mette-Marit and then-Prince Haakon
The exact date of when the two met is debated. Some accounts say they met in 1998, while others say that they met through mutual friends in 1999 and became a couple that summer. Mette-Marit herself has spoken about meeting Haakon in summer 1999.
Haakon has also spoken warmly about their first encounter. In a 2021 interview, he recalled being struck by Mette-Marit when she entered a room, describing her as someone with a presence that was difficult to overlook.
In a 2021 podcast appearance, Mette-Marit recalled meeting Haakon and said she had fallen “completely head over heels.” She also joked about how flirtatious they had once been as a couple.
Controversy surrounding their relationship
The relationship immediately became controversial because Mette-Marit had a young son, Marius, and her past in Oslo’s party scene became the subject of intense media attention. But Haakon did not retreat from the relationship. In fact, on 16 October 2000, Haakon invited the media to join him and his then-girlfriend on a walk around St Hanshaugen in Oslo. He also hinted that he would soon propose.
In response, the palace explicitly said that Haakon and Mette-Marit had a right to marry whom they wanted, and that King Harald and Queen Sonja did not fear for the future of the monarchy because of the marriage.
Less than two months later, at a press conference on1 December 1, Haakon said he valued Mette-Marit’s warmth and sincerity, and said they had “an incredible chemistry” and good conversations. Mette-Marit described Haakon as caring, kind and someone she had enormous respect for, particularly noting how caring he was towards Marius.
Following their press conference, their families met for the first time at Skaugum, the Crown Prince’s official residence. Mette-Marit’s parents, siblings and three-year-old son Marius joined King Harald, Queen Sonja, Haakon and Princess Märtha Louise for dinner. The newly engaged couple also posed for their first official engagement photographs surrounded by both families.
Their wedding day
Three days before the wedding, the couple held a press conference addressing the controversy around her past and her former drug-associated social circle. Later accounts say Mette-Marit spoke openly about her previous lifestyle and apologised for the choices she had made.
Haakon and Mette-Marit married at Oslo Cathedral on August 25, 2001. In 2026, they celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. The Royal Court records that more than 800 guests attended. Marius served as a page boy, making it clear that he was part of the family being created by the couple.
Their growing family
On 21 January, 2004, Mette-Marit gave birth to their first child together, Princess Ingrid Alexandra. She is currently first in line to the throne after her father.
Ingrid recently moved to Sydney to study international relations and political economy at the University of Sydney. However, she transferred to the University of Oslo when her mother was undergoing lung transplant surgery. Her brother, Prince Sverre Magnus, was born on 3 December, 2005.
At first, Ingrid’s decision to study in Sydney seemed curious. However, she was in fact following in the footsteps of her mother. During high school, Mette-Marit spent a year as an exchange student at Wangaratta High School in Victoria.
However, according to the Royal Court, she returned and studied at the University of Oslo (where Ingird currently studies) and then continued her education at the University of London.
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