Mette-Marit's press conference before the wedding

[yeadonite]

I am so happy I found this forum. Last year I spent 2 weeks in the Netherlands and 2 weeks in Denmark and found both Royal Families very interesting. There was recently and article in the NY Times Not So Blue; Royalty With a Common Touch about the Royals marrying women of non conventional backgrounds, one it mentiones was Mette-Marit. I was also fascinated by Haakon & Mette-Marit after that. How did the Norwegian people come to respect her and approve of her?

[Fireweaver]

I think it helped she was completely honest with her past, and did a tearful interview where she confessed the different aspects. She's also done a lot of charity work and, she's providing the Crown Prince with an heir. (yes, that does help win over people, strange as it sounds).

[anna]

Originally posted by yeadonite@Jan 19th, 2004 - 2:46 am
I was also fascinated by Haakon & Mette-Marit after that. 
How did the Norwegian people come to respect her and approve of her?

Whatever makes you believe they do ?

[anna]

Originally posted by Fireweaver@Jan 19th, 2004 - 3:02 am
I think it helped she was completely honest with her past,

As one who have watched that "act" over and over - THAT is news to me.

[Fireweaver]

I guess it's a matter of personal opinion. :)

[norwegianne]

Originally posted by anna+Jan 19th, 2004 - 3:04 am--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (anna @ Jan 19th, 2004 - 3:04 am)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-yeadonite@Jan 19th, 2004 - 2:46 am
I was also fascinated by Haakon & Mette-Marit after that.*
How did the Norwegian people come to respect her and approve of her?

Whatever makes you believe they do ? [/b][/quote]
I'm Norwegian, and I do. :flower:

Sure we joked around with her and her maladies in our russeparade (this was just after the incident where she had been sunburned) but all of us respected her and approved. Okay so most of the girls were hoping it would be us... but that doesn't mean we didn't approve.

At this point a woman with a slightly sordid past was easier for us to accept than a princess of royal blood from another country.

And even though I think the press conference came at a too strategic time for it not to be planned by the PR-people (it's short time to the wedding, and that will "kill" all the bad news you hear here.) I do respect her for telling it. Quite a lot of people would have buried it with: "that's in the past"

I think the manner in which she has done her job, and that she's so obviously in love with her husband, counts more to me than some interview she did before her wedding.

[Alexandria]

I didn't see the press conference "live" in which Mette-Marit cried and spilled all the beans, nor have I seen it in its entirity, though I have seen clips here and there.

My personal impression of things, if I were Norwegian, I would appreciate more my future Queen being up front and honest about her past than trying to hide it with the curtain of "it was all in the past." All the things that Mette-Marit did in her life before Haakon, sordid or not, out of wedlock child and all, lead her on the path to meeting Haakon. And really, her past was not all that sordid -- maybe not "perfect" princess and future queen material, but it's not like Mette-Marit was a murderer or something like that.

And if she hadn't been up front and honest about her past, the partying and the drugs, et. al., then we would have a case like Mabel Wisse Smit, whom had a relationship eons ago with a gentleman associated with organized crime and wasn't completely up front about it because it truly was in the past. Yes, Mabel will not be queen one day, but she still had a past that needed to be fessed up to.

[Fireweaver]

I like the fact that M-M has tried to be a good C. Princess. Yeah, she has lost her temper, doesn't always like the attention, but she's coped far better then many "normal" people would in the same situation. I mean, I don't have any out of wedlock children, and I still wouldn't want the *entire* nation to know all the details of my past!

[yeadonite]

Originally posted by anna+Jan 19th, 2004 - 3:04 am--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (anna @ Jan 19th, 2004 - 3:04 am)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteBegin-yeadonite@Jan 19th, 2004 - 2:46 am
I was also fascinated by Haakon & Mette-Marit after that.*
How did the Norwegian people come to respect her and approve of her?

Whatever makes you believe they do ?[/b][/quote]
I thought the general tone of the posts was that there was approval for M-M not as much as for Maxima but a positive feel. Living in a fishbowl must be very difficult but there are many perks. I would not want everyone knowing my past, boring as it is.

[anna]

Originally posted by yeadonite@Jan 20th, 2004 - 12:24 am
I would not want everyone knowing my past,

:flower: There is the point !

Neither the people of Norway nor any posters do know the past of

Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway

[Fireweaver]

How so Anna? She seems to have apologized for stuff, and it's not like she's hidden her son or who his father was, which is one thing that was held against her. (or would that technically be 2. the kid and her choice of bedpartners?)

[zhontella]

I would hope MM doesn't totally regret her past because that would mean regretting her son was born. Anyway, she had the courage to have her child and not get an abortion, so that is good role model behavior.