Crown Prince Haakon and Mette-Marit Tjessem Hoiby met through mutual friends in 1999 and became engaged in December 2000. Their engagement attracted public controversy because Mette-Marit was a single mother with a past that drew media attention. They married on 25 August 2001 at Oslo Cathedral and have since carried out official duties as members of the Norwegian royal family. The couple have two children together and Haakon is stepfather to Mette-Marit's older son from a previous relationship.
- How they met
- They first met through mutual friends in 1999. According to biographical sources, their first encounter was at a garden party during the Quart Festival in Kristiansand.
- Children
- Marius Borg Hoiby (Mette-Marit's son, b. 1997); Princess Ingrid Alexandra (b. 2004); Prince Sverre Magnus (b. 2005)