Princess becomes the queen after apologizing for Epstein links

Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon automatically became king upon the death of his father, King Harald, under the country’s constitutional monarchy.

King Haakon VIII was expected to speak to the nation in a televised address on Saturday.

On Tuesday, he will take the oath in front of parliament, when he will swear to defend Norway's constitution and laws.

King Harald, a reformer who emerged from the shadow of his well-loved, extrovert father over more than three decades on the throne, died on Friday at the age of 89 at a time of multiple crises for the Norwegian royal family.

His successor is married to Crown Princess Mette-Marit, who recently made headlines over her links to former sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Just like Britain’s Queen Camilla the wife of Norway's new monarch became queen consort and is now styled Queen Mette-Marit.

She was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018, a chronic disease that causes scarring in the lungs and reduces oxygen uptake. Earlier this year, she underwent a lung transplant surgery.

Mette-Marit becomes the queen at a strained time for the royal family as her 29-year-old son from a previous relationship, Marius Borg Hoiby, was recently convicted of rape and domestic violence and sentenced to four years in prison.

However, he was released from detention to serve house arrest under electronic monitoring while awaiting his appeal.

She became the queen just three days after celebrating her 25th wedding anniversary. Interestingly, King Harald died just a day before his wedding anniversary.

In February 2026, Mette-Marit publicly apologized to the nation for his links to Jeffrey Epstein.