Mandy
Majesty
- Joined
- Feb 20, 2003
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Mette-Marit was born on August 19, 1973 to Marit Tjessem and Sven Olav Bjarte Høiby. She was welcomed by two older brothers, Espen and Per, and a sister, Kristin. Mette-Marit is also the name of a heroine in a series of books, written between 1959 and 1971, by Norwegian author Bjørg Gaselle.
Mette-Marit grew up in an area of Kristiansand called Slettheia. She played with the children in the neighbourhood and her childhood was similar to that of other Norwegian children. She got her first pair of slalom skis when she was four and the Høiby family frequently spent weekends at their cabin in the mountains. After she started school at the age of seven, as was the custom in Norway, she gained many new friends. There is a story from her school days that will be remembered forever. As the class was making a collage of pictures from the glossy magazines, unlike her friends, who were interested in the royal children, Mette-Marit declared, "Haakon Magnus is childish!"
In 1984, her parents divorced and Mette-Marit lived mainly with her mother after the divorce which led to an especially strong bond between the two of them that is evident today.
Mette-Marit was an active teenager. She became one of the leaders in the local youth club and helped arrange discos every Friday. In addition, she was an eager volleyball player and even started some courses to qualify as a judge in the sport.
In 1988 Mette-Marit started her secondary education at Oddernes High School. When she became tired of her surroundings and needed a change, she went as an exchange student to Wangaratta High School in Australia. She made several friends there and stayed in touch with them afterwards. Upon her return to Norway, Mette-Marit passed her final exams at Kristiansand Katedralskole in 1994. Being two year older than the rest of her graduating class, she was like the "mommy" who hushed the other pupils.
After graduating, she moved in with a boyfriend and soon after, she was enjoying the party life. When the relationship started to cool after a year or so, Mette-Marit began to reevaluate her life. She moved in with a girlfriend and began her studies at Bjørknes Privatskole in Oslo, to improve her grades before beginning university.
Mette-Marit had a son, Marius Borg Høiby in January 13, 1997. Her romantic relationship with Marius' father, Morten Borg, who was a friend of hers, had been brief and neither party had expected it to last. So when Mette-Marit realized she was pregnant, it came as a surprise to both of them, but they decided to face it together and Marius' father was present when Marius was born. She raised Marius with the help of her mother and friends with only a waitress (East News) salary and child benefit from the state to cover their expenses. Marius lived with his grandparents while Mette-Marit studied and when he was christened in the spring of 1997, Aunt Kristin, Uncle Espen and Uncle Per were his sponsors.
In Autumn 1998, Mette-Marit started studies at Grimstad College to become a Construction engineer and after completing her first year, she interrupted her studies when she got tired of the daily commute from Kristiansand. She wanted to move back to the capital and she considered studying social anthropology.
Mette-Marit first met CP Haakon in 1996, while she was pregnant with Marius, then they met again in the summer of 1999 at the Kristiansand rock music festival or Quart Festival. This second encounter slowly blossomed into a serious relationship. When Mette-Marit started school without a place to live, Haakon invited her to move in with him. She was hesitant to change the status of their relationship, but Haakon's perseverence eventually paid off.
In the early 2000, media frenzy developed around the couple when it was revealed that Marten Borg had been convicted of possession of cocaine and that Mette-Marit had a wild past. This information came to light while Haakon was on an official visit to Svalbard in the Arctic Archipelago and he refused to comment when asked about it by the reporters accompanying him.
Finally, on May 14, 2000, Haakon confirmed his romance with Mette-Marit on NRK state television and he admitted to Mette-Marit having taken part in the Oslo party scene. Despite the negative media attention, the King continued to support both Haakon and Mette-Marit. Mette-Marit’s family members were silent except for her father, Sven O Høiby, who in an interview with Aftenposten was quoted as saying that Mette-Marit was not keen to be queen, but would make a good queen.
In September, Haakon and Mette-Marit bought an apartment that was large enough for themselves and Marius, but delayed moving in until the remodeling was completed.
On October 16, 2000, Mette-Marit was introduced (dpa) to the press as she and Haakon took a walk in the park. The reporters followed snapping their pictures. From this point on, her picture was taken every time she was spotted by the press. Mette-Marit was invited to Palace for lessons on how to handle the press and for tips on how to be a princess.
After much anticipation, Haakon's and Mette-Marit's engagement was announced during a televised press conference on December 1st 2000. Pictures of the happy couple graced the cover of every newspaper on December 3rd when both families gathered at the Palace to celebrate the official engagement.
Mette-Marit's first "official appearance" after her engagement was her attendance at the Nobel Peace Prize awards ceremony (dpa) at the Oslo City Hall on December 10, 2000 with Haakon, King Harald and Märtha Louise. The very next day, she accompanied Haakon to the Nobel Concert (dpa) at the Oslo Spektrum.
As illustrated in this Christmas picture (getty) released in December 2000, the Royal Family was a close-knit family gathered around a blond haired little boy in a happy home setting.
Mette-Marit grew up in an area of Kristiansand called Slettheia. She played with the children in the neighbourhood and her childhood was similar to that of other Norwegian children. She got her first pair of slalom skis when she was four and the Høiby family frequently spent weekends at their cabin in the mountains. After she started school at the age of seven, as was the custom in Norway, she gained many new friends. There is a story from her school days that will be remembered forever. As the class was making a collage of pictures from the glossy magazines, unlike her friends, who were interested in the royal children, Mette-Marit declared, "Haakon Magnus is childish!"
In 1984, her parents divorced and Mette-Marit lived mainly with her mother after the divorce which led to an especially strong bond between the two of them that is evident today.
Mette-Marit was an active teenager. She became one of the leaders in the local youth club and helped arrange discos every Friday. In addition, she was an eager volleyball player and even started some courses to qualify as a judge in the sport.
In 1988 Mette-Marit started her secondary education at Oddernes High School. When she became tired of her surroundings and needed a change, she went as an exchange student to Wangaratta High School in Australia. She made several friends there and stayed in touch with them afterwards. Upon her return to Norway, Mette-Marit passed her final exams at Kristiansand Katedralskole in 1994. Being two year older than the rest of her graduating class, she was like the "mommy" who hushed the other pupils.
After graduating, she moved in with a boyfriend and soon after, she was enjoying the party life. When the relationship started to cool after a year or so, Mette-Marit began to reevaluate her life. She moved in with a girlfriend and began her studies at Bjørknes Privatskole in Oslo, to improve her grades before beginning university.
Mette-Marit had a son, Marius Borg Høiby in January 13, 1997. Her romantic relationship with Marius' father, Morten Borg, who was a friend of hers, had been brief and neither party had expected it to last. So when Mette-Marit realized she was pregnant, it came as a surprise to both of them, but they decided to face it together and Marius' father was present when Marius was born. She raised Marius with the help of her mother and friends with only a waitress (East News) salary and child benefit from the state to cover their expenses. Marius lived with his grandparents while Mette-Marit studied and when he was christened in the spring of 1997, Aunt Kristin, Uncle Espen and Uncle Per were his sponsors.
In Autumn 1998, Mette-Marit started studies at Grimstad College to become a Construction engineer and after completing her first year, she interrupted her studies when she got tired of the daily commute from Kristiansand. She wanted to move back to the capital and she considered studying social anthropology.
Mette-Marit first met CP Haakon in 1996, while she was pregnant with Marius, then they met again in the summer of 1999 at the Kristiansand rock music festival or Quart Festival. This second encounter slowly blossomed into a serious relationship. When Mette-Marit started school without a place to live, Haakon invited her to move in with him. She was hesitant to change the status of their relationship, but Haakon's perseverence eventually paid off.
In the early 2000, media frenzy developed around the couple when it was revealed that Marten Borg had been convicted of possession of cocaine and that Mette-Marit had a wild past. This information came to light while Haakon was on an official visit to Svalbard in the Arctic Archipelago and he refused to comment when asked about it by the reporters accompanying him.
Finally, on May 14, 2000, Haakon confirmed his romance with Mette-Marit on NRK state television and he admitted to Mette-Marit having taken part in the Oslo party scene. Despite the negative media attention, the King continued to support both Haakon and Mette-Marit. Mette-Marit’s family members were silent except for her father, Sven O Høiby, who in an interview with Aftenposten was quoted as saying that Mette-Marit was not keen to be queen, but would make a good queen.
In September, Haakon and Mette-Marit bought an apartment that was large enough for themselves and Marius, but delayed moving in until the remodeling was completed.
On October 16, 2000, Mette-Marit was introduced (dpa) to the press as she and Haakon took a walk in the park. The reporters followed snapping their pictures. From this point on, her picture was taken every time she was spotted by the press. Mette-Marit was invited to Palace for lessons on how to handle the press and for tips on how to be a princess.
After much anticipation, Haakon's and Mette-Marit's engagement was announced during a televised press conference on December 1st 2000. Pictures of the happy couple graced the cover of every newspaper on December 3rd when both families gathered at the Palace to celebrate the official engagement.
Mette-Marit's first "official appearance" after her engagement was her attendance at the Nobel Peace Prize awards ceremony (dpa) at the Oslo City Hall on December 10, 2000 with Haakon, King Harald and Märtha Louise. The very next day, she accompanied Haakon to the Nobel Concert (dpa) at the Oslo Spektrum.
As illustrated in this Christmas picture (getty) released in December 2000, the Royal Family was a close-knit family gathered around a blond haired little boy in a happy home setting.
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