Birthday of Queen Mette-Marit of Norway Date in the current year: August 19, 2026

Queen Mette-Marit was born Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby on August 19, 1973, to journalist Sven O. Høiby and former bank clerk Marit Tjessem. She admits to having experienced a rebellious phase before meeting Haakon and has a son named Marius Borg Høiby from a previous relationship, born in 1997.

Mette-Marit first met Crown Prince Haakon in the 1990s at a party during the Quart Festival, the largest rock festival in Norway. However, they didn’t begin dating then. Their paths crossed again years later when Mette-Marit was already a single mother.

They began dating around the end of 1999 and got engaged on December 1, 2000. Some Norwegians found Haakon’s choice of spouse questionable because of Mette-Marit’s rebellious past and her status as a single mother. Her status as a commoner was not an issue per se, as Queen Sonja of Norway was also a commoner.

Crown Prince Haakon and Mette-Marit got married on August 25, 2001. She became the Crown Princess of Norway and a member of the royal family. The couple has two children together: Princess Ingrid Alexandra, born in 2004, and Prince Sverre Magnus, born in 2005.

On August 28, 2026, King Harald V died, Crown Prince Haakon ascended the throne as King Haakon VIII, and Mette-Marit became Queen consort of Norway.