Queen Mette-Marit Net Worth

What is Queen Mette-Marit's Net Worth?

Queen Mette-Marit of Norway has a net worth of $30 million. That is a combined net worth with her husband, King Haakon VIII. Mette-Marit became Queen of Norway on August 28, 2026, when Haakon ascended the throne following the death of his father, King Harald V.

Mette-Marit's path to the Norwegian throne was highly unconventional. She was a commoner and single mother when she began dating Haakon in the late 1990s, and her background initially generated enormous controversy in Norway. After marrying Haakon in 2001, she gradually established herself as a prominent working royal, focusing particularly on literature, youth inclusion, HIV/AIDS awareness, global health and humanitarian causes.

Her final years as crown princess were considerably more difficult. Mette-Marit was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018, and the progressive lung disease eventually became life-threatening. She underwent a successful lung transplant in June 2026. At the same time, she faced intense public scrutiny over previously undisclosed details of her friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the criminal prosecution of her eldest son, Marius Borg Høiby.

Early Life and Education

Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby was born on August 19, 1973, in Kristiansand, Norway. She grew up in the Vågsbygd area as the youngest of four children of Marit Tjessem and Sven Olaf Bjarte Høiby.

During high school, Mette-Marit spent a year as an exchange student at Wangaratta High School in Australia. She completed her secondary education at Kristiansand Katedralskole in 1994.

Her education continued over many years. She took courses in chemistry and information technology at what is now the University of Agder and studied philosophy, ethics and applied ethics at the University of Oslo. In 2003, she studied development issues at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, including courses dealing with HIV/AIDS, refugees and international development.

Mette-Marit later completed a master's degree in management at BI Norwegian Business School in 2012.

Before entering the royal family, she had a son, Marius Borg Høiby, in 1997 from a previous relationship.

Relationship with Haakon and Royal Wedding

Mette-Marit met Crown Prince Haakon at the Quart music festival in Kristiansand in 1999. Their relationship quickly attracted media attention, particularly because she was a single mother with no aristocratic background and had been associated with Norway's late-1990s club and house-music scene.

The couple moved in together before becoming engaged, another departure from traditional royal expectations.

Their engagement was formally announced in December 2000. Shortly before the wedding, Mette-Marit publicly addressed the controversy surrounding her younger years. She acknowledged having moved in an environment where drugs were common and expressed regret over aspects of her past, while declining to provide detailed accounts of individual incidents.

Mette-Marit and Haakon married at Oslo Cathedral on August 25, 2001. She became Crown Princess of Norway and Marius became part of the crown prince's household.

The couple later had two children together. Princess Ingrid Alexandra was born in 2004, followed by Prince Sverre Magnus in 2005.

Royal Duties and Charitable Work

As crown princess, Mette-Marit became involved in a broad range of domestic and international causes. She developed a particular interest in HIV/AIDS awareness, youth inclusion, mental health, literature and international development.

She spent time working with Norway's development agency, Norad, with a focus on HIV/AIDS, and later became involved with United Nations initiatives addressing global health.

Mette-Marit also became closely associated with Norwegian literature. She promoted authors and reading through literary events, book tours and cultural programs and became known as one of the royal family's most enthusiastic advocates for books and the arts.

Together with Haakon, she helped oversee the Crown Prince and Crown Princess's Foundation, which supports young people who are at risk of social exclusion.

Pulmonary Fibrosis and Lung Transplant

In 2018, the Royal Court announced that Mette-Marit had been diagnosed with chronic pulmonary fibrosis, a condition in which lung tissue becomes scarred and breathing progressively more difficult.

The disease increasingly affected her ability to maintain a normal schedule of royal engagements. By 2025 and 2026, her health had deteriorated substantially.

In June 2026, doctors determined that her condition had become life-threatening and placed her on Norway's lung-transplant waiting list. Less than two weeks later, she underwent a lung transplant at Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet.

Doctors reported that the procedure had been successful. Mette-Marit remained hospitalized for several weeks before being discharged in July to continue a lengthy period of rehabilitation and recovery.

Jeffrey Epstein Controversy

Mette-Marit's public standing suffered a major blow in 2026 when newly released U.S. Justice Department documents revealed the extent of her past relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

It had previously been known that she had met Epstein several times between 2011 and 2013. The newly released material showed extensive email correspondence after Epstein's 2008 conviction and indicated that their relationship had been closer and lasted longer than previously understood. Mette-Marit also stayed at Epstein's Palm Beach residence in 2013 while he was away.

She apologized publicly, saying she had exercised poor judgment and should have investigated Epstein's background more carefully. She later said she felt manipulated and wished she had never met him.

The revelations became one of the most serious controversies involving Norway's royal family in modern times.

Marius Borg Høiby

At roughly the same time, Mette-Marit's eldest son, Marius Borg Høiby, became the subject of an extensive criminal case.

Following a series of arrests and investigations, Høiby went on trial in 2026 on charges that included rape, domestic violence, assault and drug offenses. In June 2026, an Oslo court convicted him on 34 of 40 charges, including two counts of rape and domestic violence, and sentenced him to four years in prison.

Marius has never held a royal title and is not in the Norwegian line of succession.

Queen of Norway

On August 28, 2026, King Harald V died after 35 years on the Norwegian throne. His son automatically succeeded him as King Haakon VIII, making Mette-Marit Queen of Norway.

The transition came only three days after Haakon and Mette-Marit marked their 25th wedding anniversary.

As queen, Mette-Marit entered a role few Norwegians would have imagined for her when she first emerged publicly as the crown prince's controversial girlfriend more than a quarter-century earlier. Her husband inherited a monarchy facing falling public support and several family scandals, while Mette-Marit's ability to undertake a full schedule of duties remained dependent on her recovery from her lung transplant.

Real Estate and Royal Finances

Haakon and Mette-Marit's longtime home is Skaugum, a large estate in Asker southwest of Oslo. Unlike Norway's Royal Palace, which belongs to the state, Skaugum is privately owned.

The estate has served as the residence of Norway's heir to the throne since 1929. King Harald transferred Skaugum to Haakon around the time of his marriage, continuing a family tradition that stretches back several generations.

The couple also owns private vacation properties in Uvdal and on Flatholmen near Risør.

Those private holdings are distinct from properties, staff and expenses funded by the Norwegian government for official royal functions. Before Haakon became king, Norway's 2026 state budget provided the crown prince and crown princess with an apanage of approximately 13.5 million Norwegian kroner for their royal household.

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