Norwegian princess' father lays bare divorce from ex-stripper
OSLO (AFP) - The father of Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Sven Hoeiby, and his wife, ex-stripper Renathe Barsgaard, are to file for divorce after just three months of marriage.
Sven Hoeiby, 68, whose controversial lifestyle regularly scandalizes Norwegians, told Se og Hoer magazine that "the mutual confidence and respect" to continue the marriage were no longer there.
His wife was more specific, saying she was "tired of this wild life" which she said centred on parties and pub crawls.
"When I got home, it was always me who would tidy up while he watched television," Barsgaard, 34, told the bi-weekly magazine.
The marriage went rocky after just two months, she said.
Hoeiby has been a constant embarrassment to Mette-Marit, who would like to move on from her own past, which includes a wild adolescence with doubtful relationships and a child out of wedlock.
But her father, who basks in the spotlight of the Norwegian yellow press, seems to have no intention of letting her look forward to a peaceful queenhood.
He recently said he would write an unofficial biography of Mette-Marit's son Marius, whose father has been found guilty several times of cocaine possession.
But at least he will shun wedding bells in the future. "I will never get married again. It involves too many obligations," Hoeiby said.
Mette-Marit married Crown Prince Haakon in 2001. The couple have a one-year old daughter, Ingrid Alexandra, and are expecting another child, due in December.