Mette-Marit is the queen of Norway (2026– ), wife of Haakon VIII. The couple married in 2001, though their relationship initially proved controversial due to what some considered her checkered past. While at university she experienced what she called a “youth rebellion.” In 1997 she had a son, Marius Borg Høiby, with a convicted felon and was a single mother when she met the prince. Less than a week before she and Haakon married, they held a press conference in which she apologized for her former life and, without admitting she had used drugs, used the occasion to condemn them. The couple later had two children: Princess Ingrid Alexandra (born 2004) and Prince Sverre Magnus (born 2005),
In 2018 it was announced that Mette-Marit had been diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, and in June 2026 she received a lung transplant. During this time her eldest son, Marius Borg Høiby, faced rape allegations involving various women, and in June 2025 he was formally charged on multiple counts of rape and sexual assault. The following year he was found guilty and sentenced to four years in prison.
Following the death of King Harald V on August 28, 2026, Haakon became king (Haakon VIII), and Mette-Marit became queen.