OSLO, Norway — The death of King Harald V has opened a new chapter for Norway’s monarchy — and thrust one of Europe’s most closely scrutinised royals into an even more prominent role.
Harald died peacefully at Oslo University Hospital on Friday, Aug. 28, at the age of 89, according to Norway’s Royal Court. He had reigned since 1991 and was Europe’s oldest reigning monarch before his death. His son, 53-year-old Haakon, immediately succeeded him as Norway’s king, while Haakon’s wife Mette-Marit became the country’s new queen.
For Mette-Marit, however, the transition is anything but routine.
Her elevation comes after an extraordinary year involving a serious health crisis, renewed scrutiny over her past contacts with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the criminal conviction of her eldest son, Marius Borg Høiby.
That combination means the new king and queen are taking over at a moment when Norway’s monarchy remains popular but has been subjected to unusually intense public pressure.
From single mother to Norway’s queen
Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby was born in Kristiansand in August 1973.
She was 25 and raising a young son when she met then-Crown Prince Haakon at the Quart music festival in Kristiansand in 1999. Their relationship initially generated intense coverage in Norway because Mette-Marit was a commoner and single mother whose earlier years had included involvement in the country’s club and house-music scene.
The couple married in 2001.
King Harald, who had himself broken with royal convention by marrying commoner Sonja Haraldsen in 1968, supported his son’s choice.
Over the following two decades, Mette-Marit gradually established a public role focusing on literature, humanitarian causes, international development and global health.
She also served as a goodwill ambassador for UNAIDS and promoted reading and Norwegian literature internationally.
But the transformation from controversial royal bride to future queen would not eliminate controversy.
Epstein correspondence triggered a new royal crisis
Mette-Marit faced renewed scrutiny in early 2026 after documents released by the US Justice Department disclosed extensive correspondence between her and Jeffrey Epstein, including communication after his 2008 conviction for offences involving an underage girl.
The correspondence caused a major backlash in Norway.
Mette-Marit acknowledged that she had exercised poor judgment and later said publicly that she regretted the relationship. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre also said she had shown poor judgment in her dealings with Epstein.
Importantly, the disclosure of correspondence or association with Epstein is not itself evidence that Mette-Marit participated in Epstein’s crimes, and reporting on the controversy should distinguish the existence of contact from allegations of criminal wrongdoing.
The political and reputational fallout was nevertheless significant.
A February poll cited by Reuters found support for the monarchy had fallen from about 70 per cent in January to around 60 per cent, while another poll for Norwegian broadcaster TV2 found more respondents opposed Mette-Marit becoming queen than supported it.
Her accession now turns that previously hypothetical question into reality.
Son’s conviction added pressure on the royal family
At roughly the same time, Mette-Marit’s eldest son from a previous relationship, Marius Borg Høiby, was facing a high-profile criminal case.
Reuters reports that Høiby, 29, was found guilty in June of two of four rape counts and one count of domestic violence, receiving a four-year prison sentence.
Both Høiby and prosecutors have appealed the sentence.
Haakon has sought to separate the court proceedings from the monarchy, saying his stepson should be dealt with by Norway’s justice system like any other citizen while also expressing sympathy for those involved.
The case has nevertheless kept the royal family under exceptional public scrutiny just as Haakon prepared to succeed his aging father.
A serious illness nearly changed everything
Mette-Marit’s personal challenges have extended well beyond controversy.
The Royal Court announced in 2018 that she had been diagnosed with an unusual form of pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic condition involving scarring of lung tissue that can make it increasingly difficult for the lungs to supply oxygen to the bloodstream.
By December 2025, palace officials said her condition had worsened enough for doctors to begin evaluating her for a possible lung transplant.
That transplant eventually became reality.
According to Reuters and CNA, the palace announced in June 2026 that Mette-Marit had undergone a successful lung transplant. She later returned home following several weeks of recovery.
Her health could therefore remain an important factor in how extensively the new queen participates in official duties during the opening phase of Haakon’s reign.
King Harald leaves behind a highly popular monarchy
The transition also comes with an unusually difficult benchmark.
King Harald was widely admired in Norway.
He became monarch following the death of his father, King Olav V, in January 1991 and spent more than three decades modernising the institution while maintaining its largely ceremonial and politically neutral role.
Harald became particularly associated with messages of tolerance and national unity and was an important public presence after Norway’s 2011 terrorist attacks.
Even as his health declined, Harald repeatedly rejected the idea of abdication.
When other aging European monarchs began stepping aside, Harald maintained that the oath he had taken as king was for life.
He was hospitalised on Aug. 17 and treated for a bacterial infection in his blood. His condition deteriorated during the following days before the palace announced his death Friday morning.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said the country was mourning a monarch who had spent more than three decades serving Norway and helping citizens see the best in themselves and others.
Haakon takes the throne — and Ingrid Alexandra moves one step closer
Haakon became king immediately upon his father’s death under Norway’s constitutional system.
Reuters reports that the new monarch is expected to use the regnal name Haakon VIII, although the formal transition process includes an extraordinary Council of State at which his royal name and motto are addressed.
His daughter, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 22, is now heir apparent.
Succession reforms adopted in 1990 established absolute primogeniture for future generations, meaning the monarch’s eldest child takes precedence regardless of gender. Ingrid Alexandra could consequently become Norway’s first reigning queen in centuries.
Norway is expected to observe a period of national mourning before Harald’s funeral at Oslo Cathedral. Reuters reports that the late king will ultimately be laid to rest in the royal mausoleum at Akershus Fortress alongside previous members of Norway’s modern royal dynasty.
The real challenge for Norway’s new queen
Mette-Marit’s journey has already taken her from an unconventional background to the heart of one of Europe’s oldest monarchies.
Becoming queen, however, does not erase the controversies surrounding the royal household.
Instead, it raises the stakes.
King Haakon and Queen Mette-Marit must now preserve the public trust built during Harald’s 35-year reign while dealing with questions about family scandals, royal accountability and Mette-Marit’s ability to maintain a demanding public schedule following major surgery.
For Norway, Harald’s death marks the end of a remarkably stable royal era.
For Mette-Marit, it marks something very different:
the moment when more than two decades of preparation, controversy and personal adversity finally collide with the role she was always expected — but never guaranteed — to inherit.
Leave a Reply