Norway's Crown Prince to Wed Single Mom

Aug. 23 -- What would Queen Victoria say?

A hundred years after the death of the British monarch whose name has become synonymous with "straitlaced," her great-great-great-grandson is marrying his live-in girlfriend.

On Saturday, Crown Prince Haakon, the heir to the Norwegian throne, will exchange vows with Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby in Oslo Cathedral.

The bride is a commoner who once worked as a waitress and was part of Oslo's wild "house party" circle. She also has a 4-year-old son from a previous relationship with a man convicted of drug charges.

Such a match would be unthinkable in Britain's House of Windsor. Just 20 years ago, when Lady Diana Spencer wed Prince Charles, it was considered imperative that the bride have no sexual past. Diana underwent a physical exam before the marriage, and her uncle even proclaimed her virginity to the press.

‘We Went Over the Limits’

Cohabitation is no big deal in Norway, where many young couples live together without marriage, and as many as half of the nation's firstborn children are born out of wedlock. But many members of the clergy were critical when Haakon — who as heir to the throne and future head of the state Lutheran Church — moved into an Oslo apartment with Tjessem Høiby and her son.

The bride confronted the public's preoccupation with her past Wednesday, breaking down in tears as she admitted to reporters that she had led a wild youth.

"My rebellion when I was young was stronger than for many people," Tjessem Høiby told a news conference, with Prince Haakon at her side.

"We went over the limits, and I'm very sorry about that," said Tjessem Høiby, who, like Haakon, is 28. "I cannot make these choices again, even though I wish I could."

It was "a costly experience for me and has taken me a long time to get over," she said.

The bride also condemned the use of drugs, although she did not say whether she had ever used them herself. She said she hoped now the press would let her put the past behind her.