Haakon and Mette-Marit and Bishop Stålsett

[Larzen]

Today Haakon and Mette-Marit attended the good bye Service of the Bishop of Oslo Gunnar Stålsett who is retireing, theese services are usually attended by the King and Queen but hey are in USA for an official visit. Stålsett married Haakon and Mette-Marit and christened Ingrid Alexandra and Maud Angelica, he is also a close friend of the Royal family .

Some pictures of him with the royal family and CPsess Victoria at previous occations.

ETA: Pictures from Cover & ANB

[pdas1201]

More pics of Haakon and Mette Marit at the last service delivered by Bishop Gunnar Stålsett. He is retiring due to his age.

Colourpress

[pdas1201]

Set 2
Colourpress

[servingsophie]

Beautiful, elegant Mette-Marit!

[defalco]

Mette-Marit has looked lovely lately but I'm ready for her to wear some more color! She looks so lovely in pastels and brighter colors. I hope that with Spring brings us warmer weather and warmer colors!

[Genevieve]

Sometimes the darker colours wash Mette-Marit out too. She's so fair and blonde that navy blues and blacks don't always compliment her skin tone. A bit of colour wouldn't hurt I agree.

[Larzen]

I have translated this article from Aftenposten about the Friendship between Mette-Marit and the former bishop of Oslo.
http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/ko...cle1434122.ece

A close friendship has grown between Mette-Marit and Former Bishop of Oslo since Gunnar Stålsett married them 5 years ago. Today he is one of the Crown Princess closest supporters. Today it is 5 years since Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby and Crown Prince Haakon said yes to each other in Oslo cathedral. Every wedding day since 25th of august 2001 Haakon and Mette-Marit has met Stålsett in a Private ceremony in the Palace Chapel. If the time has not been appropriate for him, it has taken place on her birthday 19 of august or one of the days around that. Also on other occasions they meet each other. This close friendship exists despite the face that it is Ole Christian Kvarme who is the bishop of Oslo, and the family priest of the royal family today. The contact endures with understanding and full knowledge of Kvarme.

When Haakon announced that he intended to live with Mette-Marit in Ullevålsveien in August 2000, was so to say about every bishop negative. Outwards the criticism was moderate, but inside the collegium of bishops, it was a very emotional and difficult subject. So difficult, that one says today, that much could have been different if Stålsett had not been bishop of Oslo. Stålsett was the exception, and early on expressed his understanding. He had several conversations with Crown Prince Haakon and King Harald, and calmed the bishops down. The challenge was to meet the needs of Haakon and Mette-Marit to have a short time to live together, but also the period until an engagement, should not be too long. On October the 12th Aftenposten got it confirmed that Haakon and Mette-Marit would get engaged before Christmas that year. 16th of October there was a meeting with the editors of the biggest news media at the palace, and on December 1st, the couple got engaged.

In this period Mette-Marit met Stålsett for the first time. Stålsett is, in addition to Haakon, that person who gives her advice, guidance and trust in that she can make it. His message was all the time, that there was a time for forgiveness, and time for a new beginning. The speech Gunnar Stålsett gave when he married the couple in Oslo Cathedral is counted as the highlight of his career as a bishop. He speakes very personal to Mette-Mart

"Dear Mette-Marit. You show courage and faith when you today say Yes to an unknown future. You start and new chapter with clean papers, you do it with dignity. Today you are stronger and prepared to meet people who have pain in their lives. You have given a mothers love a tender and strong face. As a single mother you have shown the way, how you protect your child…." (not the best of translations really)

At the press conference 3 days earlier Mette-Marit is very thin, pale and marked by the stress and pressure she has lived under in the months that has passed.

"I was in an environment where it was tested and we went across limits. My youth rebellion has been quite a lot stronger than many others"

What she said was interpreted that she had used drugs and done stupid things. If what she said came after talking to Stålsett is not known, but his message had always been "Forgiveness and Starting over". Stålsett has given her the advice that she should apologise for parts of her past in front of the nation, so she could start over and create trust in the work and role she had taken on. In the last 5 years she has kept to his advice. She has made some things clear about her past and she has become calm, safe and confident. That is why she does not fare any more revelations. She is not so vulnerable for criticism that she is not fit to be Princess because of her past and her lacking education

Something that is not known for most people is her Wednesday visit to Tøyen. The security she has gotten is in many ways anchored in religious faith. The City Missionary Centre in Tøyen Church has weekly Wednesday masses where Mette-Marit takes part. Here she has found a place where people from different parts of the society and social status can meet. The Crown Princess has found a liberal and free church.


Pictures from Aftenposten, Dagbladet, scanpix and hjerteaksjonen

[GrandDuchess]

Originally Posted by Larzen

I have translated this article from Aftenposten about the Friendship between Mette-Marit and the former bishop of Oslo.
http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/ko...cle1434122.ece

Thank you Larzen for your translation of that article, that's very interesting to hear about. Stålsett always made a good impression with me and he seemed like a really warm person, but I had no idea that his contact with the Crown Princely Couple went this deep.

[Larzen]

Originally Posted by GrandDuchess

Thank you Larzen for your translation of that article, that's very interesting to hear about. Stålsett always made a good impression with me and he seemed like a really warm person, but I had no idea that his contact with the Crown Princely Couple went this deep.

It is not a secret, It has been written about before (also that they dont have nearly the same relationsip withBishop Kvarme who is much less liberal) Also he is invloved in humanitarian work much more now that he is retired, so they meet pretty often, also he is a member (or used ot be??) of the Nobel Peace Prize comitte. Where he also hits it of with other Blond Princesses
Getty

tonight NRK will air and 30 min interview with them (Its beginning to be over-kill, it is only 5 years, not 50 )

NRK

25.8
9.00-12.00 The Crown Prince and Crown Princess attend the seminar "Human dignety and and global development - Current Challenges and future prospectes" The seminar is arranged by the Crown Prince Couples Humanitarian Foundation at the University in Oslo. The seminar is open to the public.
Scanpix/Nettavisen