This topic finally got me to come out of lurking.
It's a difficult question to answer, because I adore this entire family. I admire the genuine love and respect they seem to have for each other, and, as someone watching from afar, they strike me as wonderful ambassadors for Norway.
I have different reasons for loving each member of the family. King Harald seems like such a good humored and sweet man, and I love seeing the way he lights up when he's around his grandchildren. Queen Sonja is always the epitome of grace and elegance but also strikes me as someone who would be quite a hoot behind closed doors. Martha Louise seems very open and always makes me smile with her somewhat offbeat personality.
Mette Marit has become my favorite of all the crown princesses. She's not the most fashionable or glamorous, but for me, her personality makes her the most beautiful. When she and Haakon got married, I recall he told her that her soul "glowed with light," and it's easy to see what he meant when you watch her. I also admire her so much for the causes she's taken up: HIV/AIDS, mental health, single mothers, gay rights, etc. Those aren't necessarily the usual causes you'd see a princess lend her support to. And given the controversy surrounding her past, it certainly would have been understandable if she had chosen to devote her time to "safer" issues, but instead, she's spotlighted marginalized people and issues, which I think is wonderful. It's helped by the fact that she has a very natural and engaging way of interacting with people when she meets them.
I have to say, though, that my favorite member of the family is CP Haakon. I admire the fact that he takes his role seriously, but doesn't view himself as being better than other people simply because of the circumstances into which he was born. I also like that he clearly knows his own mind and stays true to himself. It's hard for me to imagine that most young men in his position, with their pick of almost any woman, would choose a single mother and be mature enough to deal with everything that entails, but he was. Over the years, I think MM has proven exactly what he saw in her, and the strength of her character makes me further admire his. Also, his relationship with Marius is completely heartwarming and a testament to the fact that shared blood doesn't make a family, love does. And he's such a doting dad to Ingrid Alexandra and Sverre Magnus. The way he so freely expresses his love for his family is so different from what I'm used to seeing from previous generations of royals, and I think it says a lot about him as a person. On top of all of that, I really admire the work he's done with the UNDP and his global dignity initiative. He strikes me as a man with great depth and compassion, and I think he's going to be a wonderful king one day.
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