Queen Mette-Marit of Norway, born Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby on 19 August 1973 in Kristiansand, is the Queen consort of Norway as the wife of King Haakon VIII.
She became Crown Princess upon their marriage on 25 August 2001 in Oslo Cathedral and ascended to the role of Queen when Haakon succeeded to the throne on 28 August 2026 following the death of King Harald V.
She is the daughter of Sven Olaf Bjarte Høiby, a journalist and advertiser, and Marit Tjessem, a bank clerk.
The couple have two children together, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus; she also has an older son, Marius Borg Høiby, from a previous relationship.
Siblings
Queen Mette-Marit is the youngest of four siblings.
She has two older brothers, including Per Høiby, who has worked as a communications executive, and Espen B. Høiby, as well as one sister, often identified as Kristin.
Her parents divorced during her childhood, and both later remarried.
From her mother’s subsequent marriage to Rolf Berntsen she gained a stepbrother, Trond Berntsen, a police officer who was killed in the 2011 Norway attacks.
She grew up primarily with her mother in the Vågsbygd district of Kristiansand.
Career
Mette-Marit completed her upper secondary education at Kristiansand Cathedral School in 1994 after beginning at Oddernes Upper Secondary School and spending time as an exchange student at Wangaratta High School in Australia.
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She later worked for the Norwegian-British Chamber of Commerce in London and as a waitress in Oslo while raising her son as a single mother.
She pursued further studies, taking courses in chemistry and information technology at what is now the University of Agder, ethics at the University of Oslo, and development-related subjects including HIV/AIDS issues at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London.
In 2012 she earned a Master of Management degree from BI Norwegian Business School.
Before and after her marriage she engaged in voluntary work and later focused on public duties as Crown Princess, with particular emphasis on literature, mental health, HIV/AIDS awareness and development issues; she served as a special representative for UNAIDS and undertook observational work with Norad.
As Queen she continues these representational and charitable roles alongside her husband.
Accolades
Queen Mette-Marit holds the Grand Cross with Collar of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav, Norway’s highest order of chivalry, along with several national commemorative medals including the Royal House Centenary Medal and King Harald V’s Jubilee Medal.
She is a Dame of the Royal Family Order of King Harald V.
Among her foreign honours are the Knight of the Order of the Elephant of Denmark, Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose of Finland, Grand Cross of the Order of the Falcon of Iceland, Grand Officer of the French Legion of Honour, and numerous other high orders from European and other countries such as Belgium, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain and Sweden.
She has also received Norwegian awards recognising her humanitarian and cultural engagement, including the Annette Thommessen Memorial Prize, the Fredrikke Prize and the Petter Dass Prize.
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