Engagement plans for Norway's Crown Prince

OSLO, Norway (CNN) -- Norway's Crown Prince Haakon and his controversial girlfriend Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby plan to announce their formal engagement by the end of this year.

The royal palace confirmed the news on Monday after mounting media speculation.

"I don't want to talk about this just yet but when the time comes I will", said Haakon.

He was confronted by press as he left the Norwegian state department on Monday afternoon, after the engagement plans broke in the media.

"We are not engaged yet, but Mette Marit is a nice girl," added the prince as he slipped into one of the cars forming his police escort.

The palace, under media pressure after months of unusually critical coverage of the royal family, held a meeting with editors of major newspapers and television stations on Monday, when it confirmed that a royal engagement was just weeks away.

Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby, 27, is an unwed mother from Kristiansand who allegedly has links to criminal circles in Norway.

The father of her young son has been convicted of drug possession and the thought that she may become queen has provoked concern from inside and outside the royal family.

Haakon himself in a televised interview said she was an active member of Oslo's drug-infested "house-party" scene in the 1990s.

The Royal House of Norway
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