During the 1990s, Mette‑Marit was in a relationship with John Ognby, who had been convicted of drug‑related offences. Their relationship progressed to the point of purchasing a wedding dress. In the 1990s, she attended the
Quart Festival in Kristiansand, where she first met
Crown Prince Haakon at a garden party during the festival season. They met again several years later, after she had become a mother.
Marriage and children Mette-Marit and Haakon announced their engagement in December 2000. Before their wedding, they lived together in Oslo. The engagement attracted significant public debate and media attention. The couple have two children:
Princess Ingrid Alexandra (born 21 January 2004), and
Prince Sverre Magnus (born 3 December 2005). Mette‑Marit also has an older son,
Marius Borg Høiby (born 13 January 1997), whose father is Morten Borg. She and Borg were not in a relationship, and he was serving a prison sentence for drug‑related violent offences at the time of Marius's birth. Some media outlets claimed that he and his family had received preferential treatment from police, though authorities did not confirm this. Marius's trial for the August 2025 indictment began on 3 February 2026. Shortly beforehand, he was arrested and remanded in custody on additional charges, followed in March by further charges of reckless behaviour and violating a restraining order. In total, he faced forty charges, some of which he admitted. The most serious charges carry potential sentences of more than ten years' imprisonment.
Health In October 2018, Mette-Marit was diagnosed with
pulmonary fibrosis. and said she would receive treatment at
Oslo University Hospital. She has also experienced "health challenges on a regular basis", including pneumonia, several instances of
norovirus, low blood pressure, falls, concussions, a neck injury, and a herniated disc. In December 2025, the palace stated that her pulmonary fibrosis had progressed to a stage at which a lung transplant was likely to be required. On 9 March 2026, it was reported that Mette‑Marit's health had worsened following her most recent public engagement on 28 January, with her condition described as "delicate". Her communications manager, Guri Valpe, said there had been "a clear negative development" in her health since December, and that an assessment was underway to determine whether she could receive a lung transplant. On 17 March, Varpe told NRK that her health had "deteriorated" and that she would not take part in the state visit of the
King and
Queen of
Belgium. She was also not listed on the Royal House of Norway's website among those scheduled to meet the Belgian royal couple. She later appeared with them at the Royal Palace on 24 March. On 10 April, Mette‑Marit attended a reception for Norwegian athletes who competed at the
2026 Winter Paralympics while using a
nasal cannula connected to an oxygen device.
Friendship with Jeffrey Epstein , where Mette-Marit stayed for several days in 2013. The picture was taken during the police raid on the property in 2005 in connection with the investigation of Epstein for
child sexual abuse. The mansion has since been demolished due to its association with child sexual abuse. Mette-Marit maintained contact with the American convicted sex offender
Jeffrey Epstein between 2011 and 2014. At the time she entered into a friendship with Epstein, Norwegian media had identified him as a "convicted pedophile". She also helped Epstein connect with young women. In 2019, Norwegian and international media reported that she met him several times between 2011 and 2013, after his 2008 conviction for sex offences involving minors and his release from prison. In 2026, Mette‑Marit minimised the extent of her contact with Epstein, saying that he was "responsible for his own actions". a claim contradicted by the 2026 release of the
Epstein files. A poll showed that 45% of Norwegians believed she should not become queen, while 29% supported her becoming queen. As a result of the scandal, she was stripped of her patronage of Sex og Samfunn, a major NGO, and other organisations discussed removing her as patron. In response to ongoing debate over whether she could serve as queen, legal scholar
Eivind Smith said it was possible for Haakon to become king without Mette‑Marit becoming queen or holding any public title, even if they remained married, as titles are decided by the monarch. International media have extensively covered scandals involving the Norwegian royal family, linking them to Epstein, rape allegations, and controversy. Experts have said this has damaged Norway's international standing, as the royal family's conduct increasingly undermines its role as a representative of the Norwegian state abroad. In March 2026, the board of the stated that Mette-Marit's connections to Epstein had caused unrest within the organisation and moved to remove her as patron. The decision is pending a vote by the members.
March 2026 interview On 19 March, Mette-Marit and her husband gave an interview. The topic was her contact with Epstein. Some of the questions were sent one week in advance to the interviewees, while others were follow-ups during the interview.
The broadcaster was free to ask any questions during the allotted 20 minutes; however, the terms of the interview were not finalised until the questions had been sent to the prospective interviewees, which added to the controversy. ==Public life==