PRINCE(SS) OF NORWAY

   Prince of Norway

Haakon married commoner and single mother Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby on 25 August 2001, at Oslo Cathedral. Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark was the best man. When the engagement between Crown Prince Haakon and Høiby was announced, many Norwegians felt that his choice of wife was inappropriate. This was primarily about her being a single mother, but information concerning her involvement in the Rave scene in Oslo, which included a significant drug-subculture, also added to the controversy. In addition, the father of her child was convicted of drug-related offenses. In a heartfelt press conference before the wedding the bride explained her past, saying among other things that her youthful rebelliousness might have been stronger than most young people. Although some still find her inappropriate as wife of a future leader of the country, the issue of Mette-Marit's past has largely been laid to rest in Norwegian public discourse.
The couple have two children together: Princess Ingrid Alexandra (born 21 January 2004) and Prince Sverre Magnus (born 3 December 2005). Haakon is also the stepfather to Mette-Marit's son, Marius Borg Høiby, from her relationship with Morten Borg.

By her own admission, Mette-Marit experienced a rebellious phase before she met Crown Prince Haakon Magnus. As a part-time student, she took longer than usual to complete her high school education before going on to take preparatory university courses at Agder. She then worked for a year at Cafe Engebret in Oslo.

In the late 1990s, Mette-Marit attended the Quart Festival, Norway's largest rock festival, in her hometown of Kristiansand. She met Crown Prince Haakon at a garden party during the Quart Festival season. Years later, after becoming a single mother she met the prince again at another party related to the festival.

Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby was born in Kristiansand in the southern part of Norway, the daughter of Sven O. Høiby, who worked as a journalist on a local paper, and Marit Tjessem. Her parents divorced, and her father would later marry Renate Barsgård, a former stripper half his age. The couple divorced after three months. At their wedding, folk singer Sputnik was best man. Mette-Marit has a sister and two older brothers. Her stepbrother Trond Berntsen—by her mother's 1994 marriage to Rolf Berntsen—died in the 2011 Norway attacks.

T E X T C O M P R E H E N S I O N

01-Who died in the 2011 Norway attacks?

a)Trond Berntsen b)Trond's mother c)Rolf Berntsen d)Renate Barsgard e)Sputnik

02-Mette-Marit met Prince Haakon for the first time

a)at Agder b)at Cafe Engebret c)in Kristiansand d)in Denmark e)in Oslo

03-Choose the correct alternative according to the text:

a)Marius Borg Hoiby is Haakon's stepson

b)Crown Prince and Hoiby have two sons

c)Marius Borg Hoiby is son of Crown Prince Haakon

d)Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark wed at Oslo Cathedral

e)Mette-Marit was convicted of drug-related offenses

04-Marit Tjessem was married to

a)Trond Berntsen b)Sverre Magnus c)Sputnik d)Rolf Berntsen e)Frederik

05-Morten Borg is

a)the king of the rave scene in Oslo

b)Prince of Denmark

c)Sverre Magnus's stepfather

d)Ingrid's dad

e)Mette-Marit's former lover