The Scandinavian Royals Message Board: Re: Crown Princess Mette-Marit

Good point. Attention is focused on Mette Marit but Haakon must have been aware of her whereabouts and contacts with Epstein. I am inclined to think that both are very naive and have a very unrealistic approach to their role and future. The Norwegian royals seem to think that love conquers all. Well it might eventually but at what costs for the institution of monarchy? Also one would imagine that Norwegian Foreign Affairs Officers, Security staff and courtiers would have paid attention and warned about Mr Epstein. If they did not or warnings were not taken seriously by the royals... that alone would warrant an inquiry... (also in the UK!). I seriously think the Norwegian monarchy is in peril. Some people might forgive and forget in a decade but meanwhile the eldest (step) son of the CP couple / King and Queen is a convicted criminal serving jail time and there's no guarantee that Marius will not get into trouble again once he's out. Its a mess. Plain and simple.

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I don't believe there is any "mental health problem" in the case of Mette-Marit. CP Haakon was clearly her "magical escape" into another dimension that she also thought would erase her previous life decisions and activities and make her immune from consequences. Now those have all come in the form of the still unfolding Epstain files. The Palace response? To keep resurrecting this "lung problem" issue for many months and dating back to her eldest son Hoiby's first public notoriety on criminal charges. In today's news: prosecutors are now requesting a minimum of 7 years imprisonment for his multiple offenses. Between the Epstein files and the Marius situation, I don't see any possible solution going forward - given also that Mette-Marit clearly has the ultimate decision in her marriage...CP Haakon even flew his step-son to the UK for "treatment" at one point months ago, and shows no sign of condemning or distancing himself from same. Who, after all, is paying all those lawyer's fees for M. Hoiby? See article link from The Guardian.

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I believe that she has, in fact, been battling physical health problems -- just like Princess Charlene of Monaco: and there are good reasons to link them to mental health problems (the pressures of being married to a sovereign or heir).

She very likely will be a queen in NAME only -- but as you say, not as a functioning one: she could easily end up spending most of her time abroad (just like Charlene).

She would not be the only absentee queen: there have actually been many unhappy royal wives in her situation (e.g. Queen Sophie of the Netherlands, first wife of King Willem III). It's just that in the past, those women had married out of DUTY -- not presumed "love" (Crown Prince Haakon Magnus was clearly blinded by infatuation) -- and therefore didn't expect much from marriage on a personal basis.

Since the crisis is mostly of her own making, however, I don't see her becoming reconciled to royal life -- like Charlene, who has returned to Monaco and resumed her duties as a princess, or the similarly stressed Empress Masako of Japan.

Don't be surprised if the Norwegian palace makes an eventual announcement of separation and divorce. In Denmark, the abdication of Queen Margrethe II had the effect of saving the marriage of Frederik and Mary (the couple seems to have acquired a new lease on life), who were able to ascend the throne a likely 10 years early.

But I don't see a hypothetical abdication of King Harald V of Norway having the same effect on the marriage of his heir and daughter-in-law ...

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So far we have had no debate about her and "her situation" on this board.

So here is a question to ignite the debate: Do you see Mette-Marit ever becoming Queen of Norway?

As a resultat of her dealings with Epstein and as a result of her son going to prison for around 7 years+ (if he is convicted). I find it very difficult to see a situation where Mette-Marit will ever be a "functioning" Queen, meaning living a day to day life in Norway standing besides her husbands side like Queen Sonja does not with King Harald.

I could see a situation where she would become Queen - and she will be married to a King, but does not live an active life as a Queen. She could even possible choose to live abroad "due to her ill health".

What do you all think?