Queen Mette-Marit ascends the Norwegian throne

Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby has become the new Queen of Norway following the death of King Harald V. Her journey to the monarchy began in 1999 when she met then-Crown Prince Haakon at the Quart Festival in her hometown of Kristiansand.

At the time of their meeting, Mette-Marit was a 25-year-old single mother. The couple initially dated in secret before their relationship became public. The transition into royal life was marked by intense media scrutiny regarding her previous lifestyle within the Norwegian house music scene, which she described as a period of living against social expectations.

Both Crown Prince Haakon and King Harald V supported her during the public challenges and privacy invasions she faced. In his autobiography, Haakon described the experience of having their private lives exposed to public scrutiny as “terrible” and “crushing.”