Mette-Marit, queen of Norway (born Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby; 19 August 1973) is Queen of Norway as the wife of King Haakon VIII. The couple wed in 2001, despite intense public scrutiny of what was seen by many as her checkered past. Her tenure as crown princess was marked by controversies related to past relationships, her friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and her older son's rape conviction in a lower court. She was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018 and underwent a lung transplant in 2026.