Popularity of the Royal Family in Norway


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kwanfan said:
Letizia and Mary don't have two young kids, and aside from the early contractions, Letizia and Mary seemed to have fairly easy pregnancies.
Will any of this really matter when the monarchy in Norway is replaced with a Republic? :cool:
 
kwanfan said:
Letizia and Mary don't have two young kids, and aside from the early contractions, Letizia and Mary seemed to have fairly easy pregnancies.

I agree kwanfan. Mette-Marit's pregnancy had to be announced earlier than expected (the same day as Mary's pregnancy in fact, when she was due about six weeks after Mary) because she had to cancel some engagements due to a difficult beginning.

Letizia kept up a rigorous schedule during her pregnancy, missing out on a few events here and there, but very little.

Mary, especially in her last trimester, was (as far as I could tell) the busiest member of the Danish royal family.

But both women have said that they had easy pregnancies, especially considering that they were also first pregnancies.

From the beginning Mette-Marit had a difficult pregnancy and I think no one would've wanted her to go out and keep representing the family if her health or the baby's health was at risk. I'm sure that if Mary had been feeling unwell, no one would've pressured her to keep up with her schedule -- everyone would agree that the baby's health and Mary's health are far more important.

At any rate, you can't compare pregnancies. Mary, Letizia and Mette-Marit made their own decisions, with guidance from their doctors about what was best for them and the status of their health. How can you say that someone should keep working if they feel unwell?
 
It's weird, if a beauty such as Mette Marit was a first lady or daughter in America, or a princess in England, she would probably be the most photographed person in the world like Diana. She just seems so anonymous in Norway despite being such a natural beauty. I always thought she would burst out onto the scene and become more of a national figure. But hey, she's got more important things to tend to now...
 
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Let's see - Mette-Marit studied for a year in London, during which she did undertake some duties, but focussed on her studies. There's a difference there between the other Crown Princesses, who came into the role fully educated.

She has also been pregnant twice, one of the pregnancies were difficult and she was advised to cut down on public duties. She broke her leg, which cut down on some of the public royal duties, although she was limping around on crutches when she could. She was scarred by a German television interview. She had pneumonia. All things that cut down on public duties.

To me, it seems that Mette-Marit has done a lot of duties - and that she is fairly popular in Norway, despite the polls. (Personally I don't trust polls in newspapers, after having had statistics class this semester, and learnt how stuff like that can be twisted to suit the journalist's need.) She's been burdened with a father, who most people see a bit like a clown, but this only seem to get people to say "poor Mette-Marit" instead of blaming her for his antics.

But yes, in the land of the Jante Law - Mette-Marit's life as a princess is not easy.
 
norge said:
It's weird, if a beauty such as Mette Marit was a first lady or daughter in America, or a princess in England, she would probably be the most photographed person in the world like Diana. She just seems so anonymous in Norway despite being such a natural beauty. I always thought she would burst out onto the scene and become more of a national figure. But hey, she's got more important things to tend to now...
I think she's totally beautiful and sweet but yeah, she does seem anonymous in Norway. And as time goes on she seems almost not important to Norwegians even though she has given birth to two heirs now and is a mother of three. She's obviously a great mother and that is important but that warmth and caring for people especially children hasn't gotten through to the public I guess. Also while she has "more important things to tend to now" what's more important, besides producing the heirs, than making the monarchy popular so that you preserve the throne for those heirs?
 

norge said:
It's weird, if a beauty such as Mette Marit was a first lady or daughter in America, or a princess in England, she would probably be the most photographed person in the world like Diana. She just seems so anonymous in Norway despite being such a natural beauty. I always thought she would burst out onto the scene and become more of a national figure.
I agree; it is strange. I find Mette Marit very very pretty, in some pictures almost breathtakingly beautiful because of her 'clear-cut' face. I find it strange that she isn't more photographed. I don't know her, but I have always liked her, just by looking at pictures of her

 
I'm not a big fan of Mette-Marit, but I don't think she is trying to NOT be popular. I think her personality is just more suited for an unknown life. She seems to be a quiet, caring person who loves Haakon and her children. But she doesn't mesh with the public. I don't think the public blames her though. They understand. She seems terribly shy. I also think she looks very natural girl next door, casual and other Crown Princesses project the expected image of a royal. But will this bring the downfall of the Monarchy? Doubtfull. Every royal family goes through this type of thing. It's called change. If anything we must applaud Haakon for marrying a woman for love and support, not b/c of what the Crown or the people expect. I sense while she made poor choices that I cannot respect in her early life, she has been given a second choice and is taking it slowly and doing well.

As far as pregnancy goes. I am in my 14th week and all I can say is I'm in absolute misery. And I mean misery. I have difficulty doing basic things around the house, much less going to work. It is a daily struggle to keep food down. If Mette went through this, she has my total sympathy!!
 
I think she is shy and not cut out for the life of crown princess. So she keeps in the background and can't get brownie points like other CPss who go to galas, smile at charities and generally look gorgeous. Maybe she simply underestimated the changes she'd have to make - I wouldn't want to be in her shoes.
 
Maybe we don't hear more about Mette-Marit because she's not exactly a fashion icon. Sadly. Don't get me wrong: she can be elegant and is a stunning beauty but she and/or her stylists too often make basic mistakes. Too often a detail is ruining the entire look. With time the photographers got used to that and are not running after her to get THE amazing picture simply because a little detail will derail the look. After the shiny pantyhose, we are in the always dark and heavy ones. Boring.
 
I find that people who are fashion "icons" (for better or worse) tend to be uncomfortable in there own skin, or just plain unnatractive. Mette Marit is would be just as beautiful in a burlap sack. clothes don't make the woman.
 
norge said:
I find that people who are fashion "icons" (for better or worse) tend to be uncomfortable in there own skin, or just plain unnatractive. Mette Marit is would be just as beautiful in a burlap sack. clothes don't make the woman.

True...but clothes often make the photo.
 
Smilla said:
True...but clothes often make the photo.

you couldn't be more right. I don't have much fashion sense as it is, it's natural for me to defend others that are in the same boat.:)
 
norge said:
you couldn't be more right. I don't have much fashion sense as it is, it's natural for me to defend others that are in the same boat.:)

I think that Mette-Marit is of the H&M school of dressing. Mostly basic, comfortable, everyday stuff. She doesn't strike me as a pantsuit kind of person, if you know what I mean. I suppose she feels like dressing up when she has to wear formal clothing, and that makes her move less natural and look a little bit uncomfortable. It's a pity. She's one of the prettiest CPss around, but also the least glamorous one.
 
I do agree she has terrible dressers and makeup artists/hair stylists. Mette Marit call me!!! Much of her clothing is ill fitting, and not flattering. She doesn't have to be a major fashion person, but needs to be taken shopping for decent simple clothes that both suit her figure and she likes.
 
It's also unfortunate but studies show that we tend to forgive more to beautiful people than we do to the ones for whom Mother Nature was less generous in the look department. Sad and mean but awfully true.

To get higher popularity ratings, MM should not only show us her inside beauty - something she already does wonderfully - but also and always her outside beauty. Our world is vain...

MM and Mary should hang out more together because they both could learn from one another.
 
Mette-Marit is very beautiful. I wish she would use it to her advantage and stop hiding it. She has an amazing smile and needs to smile more.
 
Smilla said:
I think that Mette-Marit is of the H&M school of dressing. Mostly basic, comfortable, everyday stuff. She doesn't strike me as a pantsuit kind of person, if you know what I mean. I suppose she feels like dressing up when she has to wear formal clothing, and that makes her move less natural and look a little bit uncomfortable. It's a pity. She's one of the prettiest CPss around, but also the least glamorous one.

just due to her upbringing and lifestyle beforehand...it's tough because at heart Mette Marit is not a princess, just a regular down to earth gal. She's beautiful, naturally, but not glamorous. In my opinion, that's a heck of a lot better than being unnatractive and glamorous.
 
And then there are people like me who really don't care too much about clothes . When I was 15 I wore my favourite jeans for about 6 months in a row (my mother had to wash it at the weekend)
 
She was scarred by a German television interview.
really when did this happen...can u tell me more about this.
 
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She was scarred by a German television interview.
really when did this happen...can u tell me more about this.
I don't know a ton of details. But a German station did an outdoor interview with Haakon and Mette-Marit. Something to do with the lights and sun caused them both to be severely burned. I think Mette-Marit's were second or third degree.
 
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wow didnt know this....thanks for the info
 
I don't believe I saw pics of Haakon after this interview but I have seen the ones of MM. I thought that she was badly sunburned. Now I understand. What a shame since she is so beautiful.
 
I remember seeing pictures of Haakon and he was so burned and peeling badly, almost like shedding a layer of skin. It was awful really.

Mette Marit got it bad under her eyes, she had these dark brown blotches, looked like moles or birthmarks. Whatever it was it went away or got removed, luckily I don't notice any permanent effects to this day.

Just watching the interview they seemed so at ease and comfortable, but Mette Marit squinted alot so something was definitely bothering her. Bad job by the German TV crew, you have to know how much light you can shine on a persone before burning them to a crisp!
 
I agree. Hopefully the royal couple received a heartfelt apology from the German tv station.
 
kerry said:
I agree. Hopefully the royal couple received a heartfelt apology from the German tv station.

The TV station apologized, they were very embarrassed about it all. As far as I remember, the sunlight was strong, too, and they didn't take this into account when they rigged up the lights.
 
If MM kept squinting, that should have sent off alarms that something was wrong. Anyway, despite the lights and burning, does anyone know if the interview was a good one or at least revealed anything of interest about this beautiful couple?
 
Thanks for the article, Valhalla, I never knew about that accident. If Haakon's burns were considered less severe then Mette-Marit's, then I really shudder to think what happened to her.
 
I think she is the most shy and quiet of all the Crown Princesses. Plus, someone pointed out since she was allready a mother when she became Crown Princess, she had been used to raising her child completley on her own, so she wants to keep doing things that way. Mary, Maxima and Letizia have had to combine motherhood and being Crown Princesses at the same time.
I honestly think Mette-Marit finds being in the public eye a little scary, but I also think she does incredibly well. I really like her.
 
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