King Haakon VIII and Queen Mette-Marit have ascended to the throne of Norway following the death of King Harald V on Friday, August 28.
The death of King Harald V at the age of 89 marks the beginning of a new era for the royal couple, coming twenty-five years after their marriage first set them on the path to the monarchy.
Following the announcement of the monarch's passing, King Charles III of Britain expressed his deep sadness over the death of his dear cousin.
While Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton have famously shared the details of their university romance, the Norwegian sovereign and his wife long kept the specifics of their initial meetings private.
Festival meeting in Kristiansand
Uncertainty surrounded the exact timeline of their romance for many years, with conflicting reports suggesting they were introduced by mutual friends in 1999 or experienced love at first sight backstage at a music festival in the summer of 1998.
The couple set the record straight during a radio interview on NRK four years ago, clarifying that their fairytale began in July 1999 at the Quart Festival in Kristiansand, the hometown of Mette-Marit.
King Haakon recalled during the interview that the radiant young woman from the south made an immediate impression on him. He said she possessed an undeniable presence the moment she entered a room, appeared confident and mature, was delightful to converse with, and made him feel safe in her company.
Both were 27 years old at the time of their festival meeting, and Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby was already the mother of a two-year-old boy named Marius.
King Haakon later noted that her status as a mother to a young child simply demonstrated that she was not afraid of commitment and was willing to take on responsibilities, adding that it did not make her any less attractive in his eyes.
In pursuing the relationship, the prince fell in love with a commoner, following the path of his father King Harald V before him.
Different backgrounds and royal engagement
The path that brought the son of Norway's king together with the daughter of a bank employee and a retiree was an unlikely one, given their very different backgrounds.
King Haakon had built a traditional public career, undergoing military training, working at the United Nations, and serving in the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, alongside completing degrees at the University of California, Berkeley, and the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Mette-Marit had spent a high school exchange year in Australia before studying anthropology in London and philosophy in Oslo. Her earlier employment included working as a strawberry picker, a waitress, and a grocery store clerk, before she eventually earned a master's degree in management from BI Norwegian Business School in 2012.
When their engagement was officially announced in December 2000, it triggered an unprecedented backlash against the highly popular royal family.
Press investigations into the future bride highlighted her past involvement in the Norwegian house music scene during the 1990s, a subculture frequently associated with drug use, leading newspapers to openly question her ability to serve as queen.
Pre-wedding confession and royal marriage
Dubbed by media outlets as the Cinderella of Kristiansand, Mette-Marit waited until the eve of her wedding to directly address the allegations surrounding her past.
Speaking before the press, she acknowledged a dissolute past and explained that she had lived through experiences for which she had paid dearly. She stated that she wished to use the moment to publicly condemn illegal drugs so that no doubt remained regarding her position.
The wedding proceeded successfully on Saturday, August 25, 2001, when the couple exchanged vows before 800 invited guests at Oslo Cathedral in central Oslo.
At the wedding reception held at the Royal Palace, King Harald V delivered a powerful address to his new daughter-in-law. He told her that although he had read repeated reports describing her as an ordinary young woman who had become crown princess, that did not reflect his impression of her.
King Harald emphasized to her that she was not an ordinary young woman but an extraordinary one, adding that she was madly in love with Haakon and had chosen to embark on an extraordinary life.
Children, illness and recent trials
Following their marriage, the couple's public standing grew steadily as they established themselves in their royal roles and expanded their family.
They became parents to two children, with Princess Ingrid Alexandra born on January 21, 2004, followed by her brother Prince Sverre Magnus on December 3, 2005.
In 2018, Crown Princess Mette-Marit announced that she had been diagnosed with an incurable lung condition, with her symptoms worsening significantly eight years later.
The royal household subsequently faced what unfolded as an annus horribilis, during which Mette-Marit was forced to undergo a lung transplant while her eldest son, Marius, was convicted of rape.
Just weeks after these events, the death of King Harald V at age 89 brought an end to his reign, elevating King Haakon VIII and Queen Mette-Marit to the throne of Norway.
