Majority supports royal openness

Crown Prince Haakon was back on the job Sunday night with his sister Princess Martha Louise, attending a dinner to mark Oslo's 1000th anniversary. PHOTO: ØRN BORGEN

Nearly 75% of Norwegians are glad Crown Prince Haakon finally spoke openly about his love life. Haakon confirmed Sunday that he is involved with an unwed mother formerly active on the House Party scene.

An opinion poll conducted for Aftenposten showed three of four Norwegians questioned think it was right for the heir to Norway's throne to speak openly about his romantic involvement with Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby from Kristiansand. The couple had been the subject of press speculation for the past few months and reportedly live together in the crown prince's flat in downtown Oslo.

In a surprise interview with Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) Sunday evening, Crown Prince Haakon confirmed that his new girlfriend took active part in Oslo's wild House Party scene in the early 1990s. House Parties at the time were often held illegally and attracted hundreds of people who manically danced for hours on end, often fueled by drugs such as Ecstasy.

The father of Tjessem Høiby's three-year-old son has faced charges of cocaine possession, but Tjessem Høiby reportedly is free of any criminal record herself.

(Aftenposten)