Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway
Encyclopedia : M : ME : MET : Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway
--> | ||
|
Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway (born Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby in Kristiansand, Norway, on 19 August, 1973), is the wife of Crown Prince Haakon. She is widely regarded as a responsible and charismatic representative of the Norwegian people and its royal family.
However, her romance with the heir apparent to the Norwegian throne was initially controversial due to a comparatively bohemian phase in her life during which she had a child out of wedlock as a result of a short relationship with Morten Borg, who was convicted for buying cocaine.
Background and Education
Crown Princess Mette-Marit is a daughter of now-divorced journalist Sven O. Høiby and Marit Tjessem. The crown princess has a sister and two elder brothers, and grew up in Kristiansand in the southern part of Norway. She spent many weekends and holidays in the nearby valley of Setesdal and at the seaside, where she learned to sail. During her youth she was active in the local youth club Slettheia, where she was also an activity leader. As a teenager she played volleyball, qualifying as referee and coach.After starting at Oddernes upper secondary school in Kristiansand, Mette-Marit spent six months at Wangaratta High School in Australia, as an exchange student. Some time thereafter, she attended Kristiansand Katedralskole, where she passed her final examinations in 1994. After another break from her studies, Mette-Marit attended Bjørknes Private School for a while, and then took examen philosophicum (the preliminary university examination) at Agder University College.
By her own admission, Mette-Marit went through an unconventional phase before she met Crown Prince Haakon Magnus. As a part-time student, it took longer than usual to complete her high school education before going on to take preparatory university courses at Agder Regional College. She then worked for a year at a café in Oslo.
Mette-Marit frequently attended the Quart Festival, Norway's largest rock festival, in her hometown Kristiansand in the late 1990s. She got to know the Crown Prince. during these times, as he used to attend the festival as well. They met through fellow friends.
| Styles of Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway | |
|---|---|
| |
| Reference style | Her Royal Highness |
| Spoken style | Your Royal Highness |
| Alternative style | Ma'am |
Courtship and Marriage
Although King Harald had earlier broken with custom by marrying the commoner Sonja Haraldsen, the relationship between the crown prince and Mette-Marit met with some controversy. Many felt that Mette-Marit's unconventional past, the circumstances of her status as a mother, and the couple's choice to live together before being married, added up to an undignified element in the royal family. Although few expressed criticism of her as a person, her introduction into the monarchy led to a renewed debate about the requirements for royalty in Norway. The controversy quickly dissipated once the couple were engaged and then married.Her first official appearance as the intended bride of the Crown Prince was at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony at Oslo City Hall on 10 December 2000, following the announcement of the couple's engagement on 1 December.
They married on 25 August 2001 at the Oslo Cathedral, Oslo and now live at Skaugum estate, outside Oslo. Upon her marriage she acquired the title HRH Crown Princess Mette-Marit [link].
Children
Before her marriage to Crown Prince Haakon, on 13 January 1997, Mette-Marit gave birth to a son, Marius Borg Høiby, whose father is Morten Borg, who had been convicted of buying cocaine in 1991. Marius has since been accepted as a member of the royal family, and the relationship between Morten Borg and the royal family is by all accounts amicable.On 21 January 2004, Mette-Marit gave birth to a daughter, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, who became second in line to the Norwegian throne after her father, Crown Prince Haakon.
Mette-Marit gave birth to her third child, Prince Sverre Magnus, on 3 December 2005. He is third in the line to the Norwegian throne after his sister, Princess Ingrid Alexandra.
Royal Duties and Further Education
Crown Princess Mette-Marit is interested in art and culture, especially literature and music. She also has a strong social commitment and carries out charity work as part of her official duties as Crown Princess. In October 2005 she accompained Crown Prince Haakon, King Harald and Queen Sonja to the United Kingdom on a royal tour to mark the centenary of Norway's independence.During 2002 and 2003 she studied development studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. She was also accepted as an intern at NORAD, the Norwegian government's development organization. At present Mette-Marit is attending lectures at the faculties of arts and social sciences at the University of Oslo.
External links
- [Official biography]
- [Palace reacts to lies about Marius]
- [German magazines have been reprimanded by the national press committee]
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.