Norway’s Royal House is about to mark one of the most meaningful anniversaries in its history. Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Norway’s future king and queen, will celebrate their silver wedding anniversary on August 25, 25 years after they married. The date carries a particular weight this year, falling during one of the most difficult periods in the princess’s life. Even so, the anniversary will still be celebrated. To honor the occasion, the Royal Palace will host an exhibition celebrating the couple’s love story.
Their romance began in 1999, when Haakon and Mette-Marit met at the Quart Festival. Mutual friends introduced them, with Haakon revealing that she instantly caught his attention. At the time, she was already a mother to her eldest son, Marius Borg Høiby.
“The fact that she had a young son made me realize I wasn’t afraid to take on that kind of commitment and responsibility,” he said on NRK’s radio show. They married a couple of years later, on August 25, 2001.
25 years later, the anniversary arrives amid the most serious crisis in the history of the Norwegian monarchy, with the family rattled by the criminal trial of the princess’s son and the lung transplant that has kept Mette-Marit away from public life.
© UK Press via Getty ImagesAccording to the Royal House, one of the most treasured pieces from the future queen’s wardrobe has been brought out of storage for the occasion: her wedding gown. The design was understated, with a skirt inspired by the styles of the late 19th and early 20th centuries that favored clean lines, a square neckline, a pleated bodice, and long sleeves. It made for an unusual choice for a royal bride at the time.
Inside the Historic Exhibition
The exhibition represents a tribute to the couple at a particularly challenging moment, with every detail in it transporting visitors back to one of the happiest days of their lives. The Ballroom of the Royal Palace will also display Haakon’s suit. Both items are set against the backdrop of the Great Hall, where the wedding table will be recreated exactly as it appeared on their big day. Similar flowers, the same tablecloth, and the traditional silverware and crystal glasses will all be used to transport visitors back to the couple’s wedding date.
© UK Press via Getty ImagesThe exhibition will also unveil the outfits the couple wore the night before the wedding, at the celebration held on the eve of the ceremony: two understated looks reflecting the simplicity of two people on the verge of changing their lives forever. That evening marked Mette-Marit’s first appearance before nearly all of European royalty, from the King and Queen of Sweden to the then-Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Máxima of the Netherlands, a royal summit that revealed the warm relationships between the various royal houses.
“The Royal Palace opens its doors to the public for eight weeks each summer. In 2026, the open season runs from June 20 to August 16, featuring an exhibition marking the silver wedding anniversary of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess.” One of the palace’s most symbolic rooms will also open to the public, giving visitors a glimpse into some of the spaces most central to Haakon’s day-to-day life, including the antechamber outside his office and the Council of State room, where the King holds cabinet meetings with the government.
© Getty ImagesAs it celebrates three decades of love, the anniversary comes at a time when the Crown’s foundations are shaken. Marius Borg Høiby was sentenced to four years in prison after being convicted on two counts of rape, while Mette-Marit underwent a lung transplant due to her evolving pulmonary fibrosis. Taken together, these circumstances could prompt Parliament to amend the Constitution to allow Princess Ingrid to serve as regent if Haakon is unable to assume the role of head of state in his father’s absence.
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