Marius Borg Hoiby Current Events: November 12, 2002 - January 30, 2006

[Ms Layevska]

That's sad.

 

[andr]

Actually. Those german Marius storries are really rubbish. He was at his real father that day, as usual for kids in norway witch both perents don't live together. And he looked really happy when he walked along with his class in the parade and waved to his mom and sister.

I belive it good for Marius to get a little attention from the photographers. It ain't easy to grow up and be the next nowegian queens big brother, and being "a nobody". I think Haakon and Mette-Marit and the staff around them know that wery well and are doing the best they can for him.

 

[KikkiB]

Actually, you can get hold of (some of) these German tabloid magazines in Norway. The Narvesen kiosks (most of them anyway) have a variety of good and bad foreign magazines and publications. And in a few years Marius (most likely) will learn German in school, so it would be smart to stop these magazines, one way or antother, before he learns German.

 

[carlota]

do norwegian children lean german at school...?

 

[norwegianne]

When Norwegian children reach 8th grade, they have the choice between learning German or French as a third language in school. Some schools are also offering other choices, such as Spanish. There have been talk about making the third language mandatory, unlike its current situation, where it is an elective cource. (Elective that most pick, but...)

 

[carlota]

i was now thinking about marius' future as we were talking about languages...

do you think he will have some kind of "diplomatic" activities or that he will just study a degree and probably get a job in a really important company as he is son and brother of queens?
it's quite a strange situation.

another thing... does marius study in a public or private school? was anything written about how his life changed after being the son of the crown princess?

 

[norwegianne]

Marius' future is fairly wide open, and what he makes of it.

Marius attends a public Norwegian school, just outside Skaugum. He has a couple of security guards. It's hard to say how much his life has changed.

Of course, there is always how much he remembers of his normal life from before Mette-Marit met Haakon.

 

[lsme]

I just want to make a comment about Marius's status in the Royal Family. I was very upset when I went on line and read the "Official" biographies of Mette Marit and Haakon on the Royal website. Mette Marit's starts off with her husband and royal child being mentioned right off the bat. And I am sure that when the new "royal" child arrives he or she will be listed immediately. Then it goes on to tell about her family, her schooling, her hobbies and any other piece of trivia that the Royal Family thinks important to tell about her. Finally at the very last sentence they mention the fact that Oh yes, she has a son named Marius. Thank God that she doesn't have any favorite pets or Marius would be even lower on the list. How can a so called loving mother allow her child to be mentioned as a footnote to her life? And Haakon's is even worse. According to his biography, Marius doesn't even exist. God spare Marius from such loving and devoted parents as Mette Marit and Haakon. Don't they think that an 8 year old will ever go on line and read these biographies and realize just how little importance and value the Royal Family seems to think he has in his mother's and step father's lives. Maybe the German tabloids are not as off base as the Royal Family would like us to believe.

 

[Alexandria]

I just want to make a comment about Marius's status in the Royal Family. I was very upset when I went on line and read the "Official" biographies of Mette Marit and Haakon on the Royal website. Mette Marit's starts off with her husband and royal child being mentioned right off the bat. And I am sure that when the new "royal" child arrives he or she will be listed immediately. Then it goes on to tell about her family, her schooling, her hobbies and any other piece of trivia that the Royal Family thinks important to tell about her. Finally at the very last sentence they mention the fact that Oh yes, she has a son named Marius. Thank God that she doesn't have any favorite pets or Marius would be even lower on the list. How can a so called loving mother allow her child to be mentioned as a footnote to her life? And Haakon's is even worse. According to his biography, Marius doesn't even exist. God spare Marius from such loving and devoted parents as Mette Marit and Haakon. Don't they think that an 8 year old will ever go on line and read these biographies and realize just how little importance and value the Royal Family seems to think he has in his mother's and step father's lives. Maybe the German tabloids are not as off base as the Royal Family would like us to believe.

I think the prominence of Marius's mention as part of Mette-Marit and Haakon's biography at the royal family's official website matters little in context of how much Mette-Marit and Haakon care for him and how inclusive he is part of their family. From the pictures I have seen, whether it's skiing or attending private family celebrations, Marius is very much a part of Haakon, Mette-Marit and Ingrid Alexandra's family, and does not seem to be excluded at all.

I think there is a tricky balancing act the Norwegian royal court must act upon: They must not exclude Marius as he is part of his mother's life before Haakon and part of their family now, but he is also not an official member of the royal family. The Norwegian royal court has to try and balance those who favour the monarchy, warts and all, and those who want the monarchy abolished for its warts.

So long as Marius isn't excluded from the family, it could matter less to me if Marius is mentioned in the first line of Mette-Marit's biography, whether he's given a long-winded paragraph, or mentioned in the very last line.

 

[norwegianne]

What is also important to note about these biographies, in addition to what Alexandria said, is that they don't rewrite all of them every time something new happens. They merely add on. Mette-Marit's biography was, I think, first written before the wedding, and things have been added on since then. Haakon's was from before then, and things have been added on.

It is also that Marius isn't a part of the official royal family. Haakon and Mette-Marit has stated that from the beginning, and that also means that they don't want him in the media's spotlight unless absolutely necessary. He is supposed to grow up like any normal Norwegian child. It is an advantage he has. It doesn't say anything about how much his parents love him, how many times he has been mentioned on their official webpage. My dad doesn't mention me on his professional webpages, but I don't doubt that he loves me, to put a more personal spin on it.


And in addition to the pictures of only Haakon, Mette-Marit, Marius & Ingrid Alexandra, Marius also seeemed to be comfortable around Maud Angelica and the other members of the family at the Christmas photo-shoot this year, suggesting that they do spend some time together.

 

[lsme]

Thank you for your comments about the Royal website. My point was that any biography, official or otherwise, should at least attempt to reflect what is important in the life of that person. While I understand that Mette-Marit or Haakon did not write these biographies, they certainly would have had to approve of them. As for your father not including you in his business biography, did he include any members of your family? Did he list part of his family at the very top of the page and others at the very bottom? If you read Mette-Marit's biography, she has not held any jobs (before Crown Princess) that have really contributed a lot to Norway. She has no great academic accomplishments. What she has given Norway is a beautiful child named Marius who has as much potential for greatness as any of her "royal" children. He has every bit as much worth and potential as any child she and Haakon will have. So why do Mette-Marit and Haakon persist in making him the bastard stepchild of the Royal family? Why is his mention or his appearance in any "official" matters so offensive to them. Why must the "official" Royal Family be protected from the contamination of his presence. Why doesn't he deserve recognition as an "official" member of his own mother's chosen family? He has as great a claim to nobility as any member of the Royal family because nobility is not a function of bloodlines or family connections, it is a matter of the heart and soul. He is their equal in everyway because he is a citizen of Norway. He is not one of the "mistakes" that Mette-Marit felt compelled to apologize to the people of Norway for so that she would be seen as an acceptable wife for Haakon. He is not the "practice" child that Haakon has apparently lost interest in now that he has "real" children and he is a "real" father. Everyone praises Haakon for being such a good and loving step-father to Marius. Perhaps in the past but I see no sign of it now. Have you seen him even look at Marius in any of the recent family pictures? Have you seen him give Marius any gestures of affection? He must be saving all of those for his "real" children because most of the time he looks like that even having to sit or stand near Marius puts him in danger of catching a loathsome and contagious disease. I am not making this up. Look at the pictures of all of them together as a family. Mette Marit and Haakon look only at their daughter, they only smile at their daughter. The only looks of approval Marius gets are when he is paying attention to Ingrid and then they still are looking at her and not at Marius. And lets talk about those Christmas pictures. Did you notice that Haakon, Mette-Marit and Ingrid were gathered in a close knit little family group on one side of the picture while Marius was banished to the other side with the less desirable, less royal side of the family. It is well and good for people to say that this is perfectly acceptable because after all, Ingrid is the important one, she is the Heir. If Haakon ever want to pass on his title to her, he and Mette-Marit had better take a good look at their performances as future king and queen. A King and Queen, in part, take on the roles of Father and Mother to their country. If Haakon and Mette-Marit cannot even treat a child given into their care with equal respect and affection in public as their "royal" children, it really makes you wonder how they treat Marius in private. Is this how they intend to treat the Norweigan people, as their social inferiors with less worth and value because they are not "official" members of the Royal Family. If I were a Norweigan, I would like to think that my King and Queen were capable of treating their family members (both royal and bastard) with the same degree of respect, love and honor. Remember, while Marius is not "Royal", he is every bit as much a valued member of Norweigan society as any. I find it a bit ironic that Haakon and Mette-Marit were recently given an award for their work at making young immigrants who are without their parents, feel like respected, worthy and wanted members of Norweigan society. It would be nice if they could spare some of those sentiments for Marius. Perhaps he needs to go to another country where the King and Queen there would treat him as an equal instead of an inferior. This story is far from done. It will be interesting to watch and see which of Mette-Marit's children ends up contributing the most to Norway and the world. The "Royal" children will have had the world given to them on a silver platter. They will receive respect, accolades, admiration, wealth, honors and the love of their family not because they earn them but because it is their "due" because they are the "Royal Heirs". Marius will have to work hard and earn everything that ever comes to him, honor, respect, success, admiration and even the love of his family. Because "nothings and nobodies" can expect nothing to be given to them because of who they are. Which one will emerge the better person, which one will have the greatest soul?

 

[Alexandria]

He has every bit as much worth and potential as any child she and Haakon will have. So why do Mette-Marit and Haakon persist in making him the bastard stepchild of the Royal family?

I've never read anything that even remotely suggests that Haakon and Mette-Marit treat Marius as the "bastard stepchild of the royal family." Even people who do not like Mette-Marit as a royal would still agee that she is a good and doting mom to her son.

Why is his mention or his appearance in any "official" matters so offensive to them. Why must the "official" Royal Family be protected from the contamination of his presence. Why doesn't he deserve recognition as an "official" member of his own mother's chosen family?

Marius is part of the King's family (presently Harald and eventually Haakon's), but he is not part of the royal family. That distinction is being made in many other royal families, not just the Norwegian one, as royal families try to scale down their size and to live more modestly. Marius will never be part of the royal family, but he will always be a part of Haakon and Mette-Marit's family.

He has as great a claim to nobility as any member of the Royal family because nobility is not a function of bloodlines or family connections, it is a matter of the heart and soul.

I thought that Norway didn't have nobility?

Everyone praises Haakon for being such a good and loving step-father to Marius. Perhaps in the past but I see no sign of it now. Have you seen him even look at Marius in any of the recent family pictures?

The family went skiing earlier this February/March. There are several pictures of just Haakon and Marius skiing together. Mette-Marit was resting at the cabin or something.

Have you seen him give Marius any gestures of affection? He must be saving all of those for his "real" children because most of the time he looks like that even having to sit or stand near Marius puts him in danger of catching a loathsome and contagious disease. I am not making this up. Look at the pictures of all of them together as a family. Mette Marit and Haakon look only at their daughter, they only smile at their daughter. The only looks of approval Marius gets are when he is paying attention to Ingrid and then they still are looking at her and not at Marius.

While I myself am an affectionate person, and tend to touch and kiss and hug people in my life, not everyone is. Haakon may not be as publicly affectionate with people. He may be a very affectionate person in private, or not at all. Public displays of affection shouldn't be the only stick of measurement as to how devoted or loving someone is.

Plus, Marius is a young boy -- not too many young boys Marius's age I know like to be coddled and hugged by their parents -- especially not in public in front of not just his friends, but in front of an ever present media.

And lets talk about those Christmas pictures. Did you notice that Haakon, Mette-Marit and Ingrid were gathered in a close knit little family group on one side of the picture while Marius was banished to the other side with the less desirable, less royal side of the family.

Did you see Christmas pictures I didn't see? The ones I saw showed Marius in various positions -- in front of his mom, as well as in front of the Queen and Ari Behn. When did Queen Sonja become the "less desirable, less royal side of the family?" There were also pictures of Marius holding Maud Angelica -- he was as part of the family in these pictures as the King, the Queen, the Crown Princely couple and Martha Louise, Ari and Maud Angelica.

 

[kwanfan]

I just wanted to post some pictures of Mette-Marit and Haakon with Marius. I think they both treat Marius wonderfully.

 

[KikkiB]

Very sensible comments Alexandria I agree with you! My thoughts exactly!

You're right Norway doesn't have nobility (it has been abolished since the 1800s (don't know the exact year), and they won't reinstate it either. Norwegian takes pride in its "classless" society (I put it in qoutationmarks because there are differences in the society), thus not having nobility. So the chance of Marius being a duke is non-existent, but I think he might have a better chance to get the career he wants due to his family relations, than he would have if his mother weren't the CP.

And for Norwegians in general, we tend not be so huggy and kissy as other people are. That doesn't mean that we can't show affections, we just think showing affection is very private, and we only do it towards people we really care for. So that's the Norwegian nature so to speak. As you mentioned, even if the royal family doesn't show affection publicly doesn't mean that they don't do it privately (and I also think it has something to do with etiquette and expectations that the people have).

My thoughts;
And in this case that's been going on, Marius also have a father that has a say. He isn't non-existent in his life.

A general thought; What do we really know of the life in a royal family, we only see the side that the media present to us. And that isn't always reliable!

 

[kwanfan]

More Pictures

 

[Lena]

Well, I would say everyone gets an other impression through pics of ppl, we don´t know really. I always had the feeling, that MM and Haakon have handled the things around their little "patchwork family" very well. I got the impression that Marius is in the lucky position to have two daddies and that Haakon has accepted him fully as son.
I would though say, that many share the idea with the tabloids, that Marius could suffer from his special position. If this is the case or not...we will see in the future. It always depends on the character of a person. My feeling is, that Haakon and MM understand it perfectly to show Marius the advantages of his position and to protect him from too much media attention.

 

[andr]

To Isme

I’m pretty sure you meant i well, but more or less everything you wrote was wrogn. It’s easy when you have a teori to take all that gain as something true and ignore the rest.

1. The Royal website is a website for the head of the Norwegian constitution, and is not a homepage for the royal family as a family. Marius is not royal and he can’t be, no matter what Haakon and Mette-Marits opinion is. Therefore is he not a “headline” on the page. But he is an important member of the royal family, as a family and I know that the hole family treat him absolutely similar as any other member of the family.

2. Haakon has said several times the Marius is one of the best thing that ever happen to him and I belive him.

Have you seen him even look at Marius in any of the recent family pictures?

About 30 times so far this year I think. You can see it yourself if you got access to the major royalpicture agencys like Scanpix, All Over, Action Press, Eliot Press etc.

Have you seen him give Marius any gestures of affection?

Several times. In Holmekollen Marius thought that Haakons hat, was cooler than his. Haakon gave it to him, and Marius wear for the rest of the skijump-compatition, and Haakon told him about the jumpers, they sheared a chocolade… Haakon teach him snowboarding, follows him to school nearly every day. +++

Look at the pictures of all of them together as a family. Mette Marit and Haakon look only at their daughter, they only smile at their daughter.

???

Wrogn again. You haven’t done your homework. And in fact, the more hardcore papararzzi the picture get, the more affection.

And lets talk about those Christmas pictures. Did you notice that Haakon, Mette-Marit and Ingrid were gathered in a close knit little family group on one side of the picture while Marius was banished to the other side with the less desirable, less royal side of the family.

He’s 8-years old. It natural for boys in his age too try to act like adults and show that his inderpentent from mom and dad. A one-year old girl cries a lot too.

And remember. The pictures you see is edited several times by the press. They can’t print 300 pictures of the same motiv.

I would like to think that my King and Queen were capable of treating their family members (both royal and bastard) with the same degree of respect, love and honor.

Mind your language, please. A bastard is a dog, not a boy.


And it’s probably not easy to be royal ether. Pretty lonely I think, and they do have to prove that they are good for the country. It’s always possible to throw the royal family away and wote for a president.



To Alexandria.

The family went skiing earlier this February/March. There are several pictures of just Haakon and Marius skiing together. Mette-Marit was resting at the cabin or something.

Mette-Marit was skiing as well, but Marius thougth that she was to slow, and Haakon and Marius went skiing a bit without her.

 

[bolla]

Dear Isme!!

Im sorry but I have to agree with the other guys that what you wrote is so wrong and clearly not based on facts as andr so clearly has pointed out. You say that Ingrid Alexandra gets all the attention from Haakon and M-M, I'm sorry but in general wether you are royal or not, a one year old will always steel the limelight in a family, and needs more help and attention in general than a 8 year old. I watched on tv all the official photography sessions and the christmas one included. Marius was not overlooked AT all. Haakon and MM constantly talked to him and Maris was carrying Maud Angelica around and seemed very relaxed and happy. Not at all excluded.

 

[Genevieve]

I think the entire Norwegian royal family is a very close-knit one, from King Harald and Queen Sonja with their children to their in-laws and their grandchildren, which includes Marius. Even if you don't like the addition of Mette-Marit and Ari into the family because they are commoners or because they have had colourful pasts (like Princess Raghnild does), even the naysayers of this royal family cannot deny that they are a close and loving family who supports each other.

Anyone who is trying obviously much too hard to see cracks in the family has too much time on their hands. The family loves Marius whether he is royal or not, and I see no difference in how they communicate or interact with him or how much affection they show to him then in the presence of Ingrid Alexandra or Maud Angelica.

 

[carlota]

Even if you don't like the addition of Mette-Marit and Ari into the family because they are commoners or because they have had colourful pasts (like Princess Raghnild does),.

which colourfull past does ragnhild have?

 

[KikkiB]

I think what is meant here is that Princess Ragnhild has commented on Mette-Marit and Ari Behn in a negative way in a tv interview some years back. Ragnhild herself doesn't have a colourful past (as far as I know )

which colourfull past does ragnhild have?

 

[The O.C. Fanatic]

Thanks ISME for writting a whole essay!

 

[Bullet]

I read an article which said that at the end of March, Haakon was going to Switzerland with Marius, but whitout Mette-Marit. Has anyone heard something about that, or has someone ever seen pictures of this occasion?

 

[moosey60]

Look at the pictures of all of them together as a family. Mette Marit and Haakon look only at their daughter, they only smile at their daughter. The only looks of approval Marius gets are when he is paying attention to Ingrid and then they still are looking at her and not at Marius.

My input:
"Marius, you'll catch a cold!"
http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=137701

Note how attentive Mette-Marit and Haakon are to Marius's cold, cold noggin.

 

[carlota]

I read an article which said that at the end of March, Haakon was going to Switzerland with Marius, but whitout Mette-Marit. Has anyone heard something about that, or has someone ever seen pictures of this occasion?

probably she was not feeling well at her very first time pregnant... or she just did not want to go skiing

 

[andr]

I read an article which said that at the end of March, Haakon was going to Switzerland with Marius, but whitout Mette-Marit. Has anyone heard something about that, or has someone ever seen pictures of this occasion?

Haakon and Mette-Marit were in the alps at the end of March, but if i remember right it was in France.

I saw som pictures taken by Eliot Press in a norwegian magasin.

 

[carlota]

An extract from KikkiB's article in Leah Isadora's thread

The only thing that shortened the waiting was the Crown Princess’ son Marius. Time after time he poped up in one of the upper windows of the Palace. He amused himself greately while he threw balloons (I assume they were filled with water), paper aeroplanes and shouted to the spectators. “What a ill-manered kid” Monica says and shake her head.

:shakes head from side to side...:

wasn't there anybody to tell marius he can't do that? that's absolutely silly and really unrespectful... he is not a prince, but the princess' son and as such he should behave a little bit better in my opinion.

 

[Lena]

An extract from KikkiB's article in Leah Isadora's thread



:shakes head from side to side...:

wasn't there anybody to tell marius he can't do that? that's absolutely silly and really unrespectful... he is not a prince, but the princess' son and as such he should behave a little bit better in my opinion.

I agree, that the little man should have behaved a little bit better. Some respect is never bad...even though his behaviour must have been a nice change for the spectators and the press.
But I don´t know, what to think of "he is not a prince..." For me this doesn´t make a difference. He is a kid like any other kid. IMO all children have to respect limits, no matter, if they are the child of a beggar or a king. The times, when little princes had privileges and whipping boys are-thanks god-over!

 

[bolla]

So because he is not a prince he should behave better? If he was a prince throwing water bombs would be ok? Heavens sake he is ONLY a child!

 

[bolla]

Sorry Lena, this was intendend for carlota not you, I totally agree with what you are saying!