Norway’s new queen faces scrutiny over health crisis and controversies surrounding her past

Thursday 03 September 2026 - 16:47

By: Azzat Manal

Norway’s new queen faces scrutiny over health crisis and controversies surrounding her past

Norway has entered a new royal era following the accession of Crown Prince Haakon as King, but the transition has been overshadowed by serious health concerns surrounding his wife, Queen Mette-Marit, as well as renewed scrutiny of controversies linked to her past and family.

The 53-year-old queen was unable to attend the parliamentary ceremony marking her husband’s constitutional oath after undergoing a lung transplant in June. She has reportedly experienced serious medical complications, leaving Haakon to divide his attention between the succession of his late father, King Harald V, and his wife’s condition.

Mette-Marit’s position within the Norwegian royal family has attracted public attention since her relationship with Haakon became known more than two decades ago. Before joining the monarchy, she was a single mother with a young son and had previously been associated with people involved in drug-related criminal activity. Her unconventional background initially generated significant criticism in Norway.

Born in 1973 in Kristiansand, Mette-Marit grew up after her parents separated and had a disrupted educational path. She later worked in Oslo before becoming a mother in 1997. Her son, Marius Borg Høiby, was born from a previous relationship.

Her life changed in 1999 when she met Haakon at a music festival in southern Norway. Despite criticism over their relationship, the crown prince remained committed to her, with the support of his father, King Harald. The couple became engaged in 2000 and married in 2001. They later had two children, Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus.

After joining the royal family, Mette-Marit gradually established a public role focused on humanitarian and social issues. Her work included advocacy related to women's empowerment, reproductive health and HIV/AIDS awareness, and she was appointed a United Nations goodwill ambassador.

However, her public image has faced renewed pressure following revelations about her past contact with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Correspondence reportedly made public by U.S. authorities in 2026 has drawn particular attention to the nature and duration of their relationship, including communications that continued after Epstein's conviction.

The controversy has coincided with a major legal case involving her eldest son, Marius Borg Høiby, who has faced numerous allegations involving sexual assault and domestic violence. The case has generated intense media attention and raised questions about the impact of the family's personal controversies on the Norwegian monarchy.

The combined pressure of the queen’s health problems, the Epstein controversy and the legal proceedings involving her son has placed the royal family under heightened public scrutiny at a sensitive moment of transition.

For the Norwegian monarchy, the challenge is not only to support a queen facing a serious medical ordeal but also to preserve public confidence while navigating controversies that have increasingly become intertwined with the institution’s public image.