A Controversial Crown Princess: Mette-Marit

        Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby, did not appear to be the best choice to become a princess. Mette-Marit was born in 1973 to Sven Høiby and Marit Tjessem. Sven worked for a newspaper before being unemployed long term and Marit was a bank clerk. Her parents divorced and both remarried. Her step mother was a professional stripper. 

Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway

         Mette-Marit was not an exceptional student and worked as a waitress while taking six years to complete high school. She had a relationship with a felon, Morten Born, and they had a son, Marius. Mette-Marit raised Marius on her own and engaged in other relationships with questionable men. She ran with a racy crowd who abused drugs. Mette-Marit admitted that she used drugs and engaged in heavy partying during this time. 

        Mette-Marit met the Crown Prince of Norway, Haakon, in 1999. They had an eight month engagement, in which they lived together. This was not shocking to most Norwegians, but the Church of Norway was critical. More Norweigans were concerned about her party past and public support of the monarchy fell. Haakon's aunt, Ranghild, was even outspoken against her nephew's choice in a wife. 

Mette-Marit and Crown Prince Haakon of Norway

         The King, Harald V, was not willing to stand in the way of his son's choice. Harald had to fight for his marriage to Queen Sonja, as Sonja was a commoner. Harald did not want his own children to be subjected to what their parents endured. The press speculated that Haakon would have to give up his inheritance. However, both Haakon and Mette-Marit spoke candidly to the press about their relationship and Mette-Marit's past, which caused many Norweigans to ultimately support the marriage. 

         Mette-Marit and Haakon had two children, Ingrid-Alexandra and Sverre-Magnus. Mette-Marit has been criticized in her role of crown princess, as she is seen as work shy in comparison to her husband and in-laws. Mette-Marit did obtain a masters' degree and has promoted reading as her main royal project. However, she was often missing from royal appearances, citing illness, which caused criticism. 

         In 2018, Mette-Marit admitted that she was suffering from pulmonary fibrosis. This is a potentially fatal disease, and Mette-Marit is seeking treatment. This illness may have been the cause of her health problems for years. 

         Mette-Marit also courted controversy given her friendship with celebrities, including Gwenyth Paltrow. She also used her influence to arrange for a surrogacy service in India for her Norweigan friends, despite surrogacy being illegal in Norway. Finally, Mette-Marit admitted that she had met on multiple occasions with pedophile, Jeffrey Epstein, even after he was convicted of trafficking minors.