Various News and Discussions about Haakon and Mette-Marit

[Julia]

(Ok, rough currency exchange from British pounds to U.S. dollars!)

28 JANUARY 2003
Before she became crown princess of Norway upon her marriage to Prince Haakon two years ago, Mette-Marit Tjessen Hoiby was just a normal jeans and trainers-wearing twenty-something. But the post-engagement Mette-Marit was an entirely different creature, having to shop for clothes fit for a princess. "I need to have a good wardrobe for my new role in life," she said at the time. "I certainly didn't have many ball gowns before I met Haakon."

All that has apparently changed, however, with the Norwegian magazine Se og Hoer reporting that the increasingly stylish princess has racked up more than £85,000 in clothing charges on royal accounts in the last year.

In London, where she's lived and studied since last September, the cool blonde, armed only with her bodyguards and her royal credit card, has apparently converted herself into a VIP client at Harrods. The department store has a special arrangement with the 29-year-old princess, in which she is allowed to shop after hours undisturbed by press or other patrons.

However, the princess doesn't just splurge at Harrods – like any self-respecting bargain-hunter, she also frequents her local boutiques, from Armani to Prada.

"Before, I used to love shopping," said Mette-Marit in the run-up to her Oslo wedding, "but now it's just stressful." No word on if the princess has changed her mind, now that she's had time to get accustomed to queen-sized spending sprees.

 

[Jacqueline]

Hi Julia!

Thanks for the article. I wonder if this article was simply written because there is really nothing else to write about concerning Mette-Marit and Haakon, so the writer decided to give this a try. I think that it is kind of interesting that the photos that accompany the article are over a year old. Although, the amount that Mette-Marit is said to have spent is fairly large for the average person, I would have to say that it sounds fairly reasonable for a princess. I know that M-M hasn't had to attend a large amount of functions since she has been in London, but she does have to put in an ocassional appearance here and there. She has also seems to have put on a little weight since she quite smoking, so she may have needed a few more things.

Is it actually clothing and accessories that she has purchased, or also furnishings for the home in London? I am wondering as I have certainly seen her dress very casually and recycle a few basic pieces before.

I guess that my elitism is showing. I never quite understood all of those people who made such a big deal out of Diana's spending one million pounds on clothing a year-that sounds just about right for a princess! Of course, I can't be that objective about this situation, I have never shopped enough in my life.

 

[Alexandria]

Espen Høiby's trial

www.vg.no - For those who can read Norwegian, I assume this article has something to do with Mette-Marit's 30th birthday celebrated this Tuesday, August 19.

Tøff uke for Mette-Marit
Av MARIUS TETLIE

Mette-Marit har en tøff uke foran seg: Når uken er over, samler hun og Kronprinsen sine nærmeste til privat gudstjeneste.

Det som skulle bli en gledens uke for Mette-Marit overskygges av at broren Espen må møte som voldstiltalt i Kristiansand tingrett.

Mandag starter rettssaken, som det er satt av to dager til.

Samme dag følger Kronprinsessen sønnen Marius til hans første skoledag på Jansløkka skole i Asker. Og dagen etter fyller Mette-Marit selv 30 år.

Det er ikke planlagt noen spesiell feiring av Kronprinsessen på hennes fødselsdag. Flere i familien vil være konsentrert om rettssaken mot Espen Høiby, etter det VG kjenner til. Men den vanskelige uken avsluttes med en privat gudstjeneste i Slottskapellet.

- Den nærmeste familien og nære venner vil være til stede ved den private gudstjenesten, sier informasjonsrådgiver Sven Gj. Gjeruldsen ved Slottet til VG.

Senere på dagen vil det bli en middag på Kongsseteren.

Kommer hjem

Kronprins Haakon er i ferd med å sluttføre sin oppgave om handelspolitikk ved London School of Economics. Men han vil være sammen med sin kone på fødselsdagen hennes, samt under den private feiringen neste søndag.

Espen Høiby, som i morgen fyller 44 år, er tiltalt for grov vold mot sin eks-kjæreste. Ifølge tiltalen skal han i forbindelse med et 40-årslag i Søgne i september i fjor, ha sparket kvinnen flere ganger mens hun lå nede på bakken.

Espen Høiby har i politiavhør nektet for at dette fant sted, men har innrømmet at han dyttet sin kjæreste og at hun på den måten blant annet brakk en finger på venstre hånd.

Hans forsvarer John Christian Elden vil be Kristiansand tingrett om å lukke dørene.

Tingretten har satt av den største rettssalen til det som er forventet til å bli et mediesirkus.

Belastende

Straffesaken mot Høiby, og den massive omtalen av den, er svært belastende for Kronprinsessens familie. Espen Høiby har kanskje vært den nærmeste støttespilleren i familien for Mette-Marit. Hele familien slår nå ring om Espen Høiby og støtter ham.

Det er uvisst om noen i familien vil være til stede i retten for å vise sin støtte, men Sven O. Høiby kommer ikke til å stille opp, bekrefter han selv overfor VG.

 

[lasu]

From HELLO! - The place for celebrity news - hellomagazine.com

Mette-Marit Turns 30 as Brother Appears in Court

19 AUGUST 2003
Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway is celebrating a number of happy landmark occasions this week. The princess, currently pregnant with her first child with husband Crown Prince Haakon, celebrated the couple's second wedding anniversary on August 17, and on Tuesday, the young royal rang in her 30th birthday.

However, the former single mum also has some not-so-rosy happenings in store over the next few days, as her brother, Espen Hoiby, 44, is appearing in court to face charges that he assaulted his girlfriend.

And, reports Norway's Dagbladet, Mr Hoiby's defence lawyer may claim that media pressure surrounding his sister Mette-Marit's strained relationship with their father contributed to stress factors leading to the alleged incidents.

The princess will not comment on her father Sven Hoiby, and is said to be not on speaking terms with him. One reason behind the estrangement is Sven's reported plan to write a book about her son from a previous relationship, Marius, whose father was once convicted of drug possession.


http://www.hellomagazine.com/2003/08/19/mettemarit/imgs/mette-dop1b.jpg
The princess celebrates both her 30th birthday and second wedding anniversary this week, as her brother Espen Hoiby appears in court for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend
Photo: © Alphapress.com

http://www.hellomagazine.com/2003/08/19/mettemarit/imgs/mette-dop2b.jpg
According to reports, defence lawyers may claim media pressure surrounding Mette-Marit's rocky relationship with father Sven (above, with mum Marit) contributed to Espen's psychological state
Photo: © Alphapress.com

 

[Josefine]

she looks great in this picture,,,

 

[lasu]

Originally posted by Josefine@Aug 19th, 2003 - 4:28 pm
she looks great in this picture,,,

I thought so too. M-M can look very polished when she wants to.

 

[Josefine]

Originally posted by lasu+Aug 19th, 2003 - 9:43 pm--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (lasu @ Aug 19th, 2003 - 9:43 pm)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin--Josefine@Aug 19th, 2003 - 4:28 pm
she looks great in this picture,,,

I thought so too. M-M can look very polished when she wants to. [/b][/quote]
So more pictures like ths of her...

 

[Alexandria]

www.vg.no - Mette-Marit's brother Espen Høiby has been sentenced to 60 days in prison but has immediately appealed the ruling.

Høiby dømt - anket umiddelbart
Av CHRISTIAN F. BRÆNDSHØI, MARIUS TETLIE

KRISTIANSAND (VG Nett) Kronprinsesse Mette-Marits bror, Espen Høiby, er dømt til 60 dagers fengsel. Høiby har anket dommen.

Espen Høiby (44) ble dømt for vold mot sin tidligere kjæreste. I tillegg til 60 dagers fengsel, må han betale 15.000 kroner i erstatning og 25.000 kroner i oppreisning til sin eksvenninne.

Aktor la ned påstand om 90 dagers fengsel for Høiby, men Kristiansand Tingrett mente 60 dagers fengsel var passende. Høiby har personalansvar for alle norske SAS-piloter.

Ifølge Høibys forsvarer, John Christian Elden, stiller hans klient seg uforstående til dommen.

- Han stiller seg uforstående til at han kunne bli dømt for vold, og har allerede anket dommen, sier Elden til VG Nett.

Voldshandling

44-åringen sto tiltalt for å ha skadd sin eks-kjæreste natt til 1. september i fjor. Han er nå dømt for å ha sparket kvinnen i hodet og andre deler av kroppen mens hun lå nede.

I domspremissene legger retten det til grunn at handlingen var en affekthandling, og skriver ifølge Elden at handlingen ikke bar preg av mishandling.

- Jeg har også merket meg at retten er svært kritisk til dekningen av saken, spesielt i ukebladene Se & Hør og Her & Nå, sier Elden.

Elden sa i sin prosedyre at han mente Høiby måtte frifinnes fordi hans forklaring like gjerne kunne være den riktige som hans eks-kjærestes forklaring.

- Det er ikke bevist at Espen Høiby er skyldig i voldsanklagene, mente forsvareren.

Satt på bakken

Høiby er pilot i SAS, og umiddelbart etter at dommen ble kjent, ble han satt på bakken av flyselskapet.

Saken har skadet både SAS og Espen Høiby selv. Inntil dommen blir rettskraftig har SAS tatt fra ham stillingen som basesjef, med ansvar for norske piloter. Vi har tatt avgjørelsen i forståelse med Høiby, sier pressetalskvinne Siv Meisingseth i SAS til TV 2 Nettavisen.

- Inntil det foreligger en rettskraftig dom vil Høiby utføre andre oppgaver i SAS. Han vil bli fulgt opp av sjefene i dagene som kommer, sier Meisingseth.

(VG NETT 01.09.03 kl. 12:58)

 

[xicamaluca]

I don't know if this could be posted here But if not, one of the mods/adms can delete it or move
Bye :flower:


Court rejects appeal from crown princess' brother

A court in southern Norway has said it won't consider an appeal by Espen Hoeiby, the brother of Crown Princess Mette-Marit who was convicted of battering his live-in girlfriend. Hoeiby had wanted the court to overturn his 60-day prison term and fine.

http://www.aftenposten.no/multimedia/archive/00148/null_148586a.jpg
Espen Hoeiby faces 60 days in jail.
PHOTO: SCANPIX

Hoeiby's lawyer, the high-profile defense attorney John Christian Elden, says he will now take the case to Norway's Supreme Court in a last-ditch effort to reverse the conviction.

Hoieby was sentenced to jail and ordered to pay his former girlfriend NOK 40,000 (about USD 6,000) for beating her after a party at Soegne Gamle Prestegaard in August 2002.

He admitted pushing her but denied he violently attacked her. Witnesses, meanwhile, and doctors at a local emergency clinic backed up the woman's claims that se beat her, kicked her several times in the head and broke her finger.

Hoeiby is a pilot for Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) and has accompanied his younger sister on flights because of her fear of flying. SAS placed him on leave and stripped him of management responsibility, however, after his conviction.

Aftenposten English Web Desk
Nina Berglund/NTB

 

[Alexandria]

Haakon and the issue of paternity leave when he was regent

www.hellomagazine.com

Haakon's New Duties Put Paternity Leave on Hold

2 DECEMBER 2003
With his first-born child on the way in January, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway surely anticipated a number of significant changes in life as a new dad. But now, stepping into the post of regent due to his father King Harald's sudden illness, the 30-year-old royal has had to adapt quickly to a very different public role.

A planned paternity leave coinciding with the birth of the baby – wife Crown Princess Mette-Marit is due on January 22 – has been put on hold, reports Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten. The prince has taken on a full calendar ranging from holding cabinet meetings to hosting official events, including an upcoming reception for war veterans at the royal palace alongside his mother Queen Sonja. In addition, Prince Haakon will deliver the royal address at New Year's for the first time.

"The crown prince will carry out the king's duties in a distinguished fashion," former Prime Minister Kaare Willoch told the newspaper, adding: "He is very well prepared."
Meanwhile, King Haakon's daughter Princess Martha Louise and Ari Behn had been slated to move, along with their baby daughter Maud, to New York in February. At this time, there has been no word as to whether their plans have changed due to the monarch's upcoming cancer treatment, set to begin on December 8.

 

[xicamaluca]

Haakon getting an electric car

http://pub.tv2.no/nettavisen/english/article164465.ece

NORWEGIAN ROYALTY:
Crown Prince gets an electronic vehicle
Tilrettelagt av Carin Pettersson 12.12.03 14:48

The Norwegian Royal family has mainly been seen driving dark BMW’s, but the Crown Prince Couple has now made a drastic change and obtained an electronic vehicle.

Sven Gj. Gjeruldsen, information officer at the Norwegian Royal Court, confirms to the Norwegian news bureau that an electronic vehicle is apart the Crown Prince’s fleet of cars.

The new car is not only much more environmental than ordinary cars, but you are also allowed to drive in the carpooling lane. The car may become very useful when the Crown Prince couple moves to Skaugum in Asker because the morning and afternoon traffic between Asker and Oslo is well known problem.

Gjeruldsen can not to confirm that the car will be used for this purpose, but owners of electronic vehicles can the cars in the carpooling lane, and thereby avoid the worst traffic.

Neither King Olav nor King Harald used the carpooling lane when they lived at Skaugum, and they were stuck in traffic both in the morning and in the afternoon just as everybody else.

(think.no)

 

[xicamaluca]

http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/ar...rticleID=689993

Royals go electric

Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit appear to have found a neat way to save time as part of their move to Skaugum in nearby Asker township. Commuting time from the countryside to official duties can be pared to a minimum when using an electric car, which is allowed to drive in a speedy lane reserved for public transport.

Royal information consultant Sven Gjeruldsen confirmed that the an electric car has been added to the crown prince and princess' staff pool, but would not comment on whether this was purchased to avoid the daily traffic jams between Asker and Oslo.

Previous monarchs, King Olav and King Harald sat caught in traffic when duty called them in to Oslo during their Skaugum years, and the electric car and its favorable promotional legal status has never been used in a royal context before.

The crown prince and princess, who are expecting their first child together in January, expect to move in to the royal residence in Skaugum before Christmas.

(Aftenposten English Web Desk/NTB)

 

[Alexandria]

Good for the couple for getting an electric car! How environmentally conscious of them. When I bought my car I really wanted one, too, but it was just so cost-ineffective where I live. And also, I don't have the salary that the couple makes to maintain such a vehicle.

Are such cars more common in Europe than they are here in North America?

 

[norwegianne]

Originally posted by Alexandria@Dec 12th, 2003 - 9:50 am
Good for the couple for getting an electric car! How environmentally conscious of them. When I bought my car I really wanted one, too, but it was just so cost-ineffective where I live. And also, I don't have the salary that the couple makes to maintain such a vehicle.

Are such cars more common in Europe than they are here in North America?

Having an electric car in Norway seems to be cheaper than having a car that runs on petrol.

You get free public parking, don't have to pay toll, or taxes on it. (I'm not very updated, so some things might be added and some might have been removed since I checked.)

Plus you can drive in the lane usually reserved for buses, taxis, ambulances, police vehicles, etc...

 

[Alexandria]

Originally posted by norwegianne@Dec 12th, 2003 - 3:05 pm
Having an electric car in Norway seems to be cheaper than having a car that runs on petrol.

You get free public parking, don't have to pay toll, or taxes on it. (I'm not very updated, so some things might be added and some might have been removed since I checked.)

Plus you can drive in the lane usually reserved for buses, taxis, ambulances, police vehicles, etc...

Thank you for this information norwegianne. Interesting that special benefits are granted to those who have an electric car, and that it is cheaper than a car that runs on petrol. Here in Canada it is the complete opposite, and not altogether practical because of our long and cold winters, but I guess they know about that in Norway, too!

When I was researching to buy my own car I really wanted a Toyota Hybrid, which runs partially on solar power, but it was so expensive to maintain and insure that it was "cheaper" (financially, though at the cost of the environment) to get a petrol-run car.

I knew I really liked this couple for good reason! Not only do they appear to be so much in love all the time and amiable while performing their royal duties, they are also envrionmentally conscious, espescially important with what sounds like a fair and congested commute now that they've moved.

 

[norwegianne]

http://www.vg.no/pub/vgart.hbs?artid=206139

Crown Prince Haakon used his new car to visit the King in the Hospital. Extremely cute car.

 

[hrhcp]

what's the electric car look like?

 

[norwegianne]

Press the link above, leading to VG, and you'll see Crown Prince Haakon driving it.

On another note: Crown Princess Mette-Marit had to leave her sister-in-law's concert last night, because she was feeling bad. http://www.vg.no/pub/vgart.hbs?artid=206281

 

[Dennism]

Haakon and the issue of paternity leave when he was regent

"A row has erupted in Norway over whether Crown Prince Haakon should take paternity leave when his child is born later this month.

The baby will be King Harald's first grandson.

Norway prides itself for being at the forefront of sexual equality and Crown Prince Haakon is in many ways what you could call "a new man".

The couple have courted controversy in the past
He married a commoner, Mette-Marit Tjessem Hoiby, who was also a single mother at the time.

When the two become parents to their first child together, he wants to take as much time off work as possible.

Norwegian fathers are entitled and encouraged to take four weeks of paid paternity leave.

Equal rights campaigners have said it would be an enormous boost to their cause if a royal made use of that rule and the crown prince himself at first signalled he would.

But then his father, King Harald, became ill with bladder cancer and will be off sick for months. As reigning monarch, the crown prince is obliged to attend a government conference scheduled for the very day his child is due.

Constitutional experts say there is no way around it. The crown prince is keeping silent on the matter. People here are overwhelmingly in favour of his being present at the birth and that he should take time off to be with the baby.

All eyes here will be on the birth and on how Crown Prince Haakon deals with the parental and constitutional dilemma."


Apparently, they think it will be a boy.

 

[norwegianne]

Constitutionally he's only required to meet with the cabinet every friday, I think it is. And of course receive ambassadors, etc... Still, since his sister and mother will be taking on quite a load of representing, there's nothing amiss with him spending time with his family.

Of course they neglected to mention, in the article that even if he's entitled to four weeks paternity leave he can take them during the summer, should he choose to. They don't have to be taken just around the birth of the baby.

Yet another example of the press blowing things out of proportion. Of course the constitution wasn't written when paternity leaves existed, and therefore doesn't mention it, but creating the media sircus that it became was totally unnecessary. Especially when the things he has to do are very limited. His programme for January is virtually empty, aside from the odd cabinet meeting.

Nobody knows if it's a boy or a girl, or if they do they're not telling the press, not anything I've read, and I think VG would be on top of that piece of news. So I can safely say that this is a translation that went a bit wonky. Or something wonky with the journalist.

We have two generations of Royals in Norway where the first born is a girl... Princess Ragnhild is older than her brother, and Princess Märtha Louise is older than hers. On the other hand it's about time with a boy. We'll just have to wait and see I guess.

 

[Dennism]

There was a story on the NPR(National Public Radio) in the US today about the king and paternity leave and the conference and everything. Rather short but it's nice to hear about these things on the radio here in the US. Go to the page and it's the last story on the bottom of the page. Real Player or WMP will come up. Listen and Enjoy:

http://www.npr.org/rundowns/rundown.php?pr...n-2004&prgId=17

 

[norwegianne]

And I haven't got either of those players... Is there a written report somewhere of what was said?

 

[Dennism]

Here is a transcript of it of the NPR interview:

The host Madeleine Brand:


In Norway, a debate over paternity leave has received national attention. In a country of generous social benefits, it's not taking leave per se that is contentious, but the person who wants to take it. Crown Prince Haakon wants to take the 4 weeks of paid paternity leave he's due because his wife is about to have a baby. But Norway's King, Harald, is sick and the Constitution says that the prince has to step in and perform all the royal tasks. With us now to talk about the country's leadership crisis, is Lars Bevanger, a reporter in Oslo. Hi, Lars.

Lars: Hello there.

Madeleine: So about 80% of Norwegian men actually take paid paternity leave(Writer's note: Wow!) Why shouldn't the prince?

Lars: Well, that's a very good question and a lot of people here indeed think that he should take his paid paternity leave. However, it is a constitutional problem because the Constitution states quite clearly that when the king is ill, the crown prince is crown prince regent and has to perform all of the duties of the king. And the only way he can get out of it, is if he himself is ill or if he's abroad. And he is neither. So the Constitution quite clearly says that he has to do the king's duties. Now the big problem might be that his baby is due around the same day that he has to attend a government conference. So we'll have to wait and see whether if the baby is on time and how much of a crisis that would present.

Madeleine: So he doesn't just take on ceremonial duties. He actually functions as a head of state?

Lars: He does. Norway's a constitutional monarchy and very much like Britain, the head of state i.e. the King in Norway, has to be present at a government conference in Norway, once every two weeks. Basically to sign any government propositions or new laws. If the King is not present, this conference can't get underway basically so some royal, in this case now the crown prince, has to be present.

Madeleine: So the prince wants to take his paternity leave instead. What is the sentiment there among Norwegians? Do they support him?

Lars: Well, it looks like most people do support him. Norwegians are pretty laid-back when it comes to royalty. They say it's fine to have a royal family as long as they don't think they're anything special. It's a very egalitarian society so a lot of people say that "Well, if he's going to be dad, why shouldn't he have his paternity leave like everyone else?" However, there is another group who say that "if he wants to be a royal, he has to take his royal duties seriously. So there's no question about it. He will have to go through his duties as a reigning monarch, a new father or not."
It might be a solution though that this government conference, if if should happen to end up on the same day as the actual birth, would be postponed. That would be up to the Norwegian government to decide.

Madeleine: And so what's the royal family saying and any predictions on what will happen?

Lars: They're lying low at the moment.They're not saying much quite wisely so, I think. But the indications we're getting from the royal palace here is that the crown prince will indeed perform as many royal duties as he must but he has also indicated that he wants to take as much time as possible off to be with his new family. And I think, to be honest, he will meet quite a lot of understanding from the Norwegian government and indeed also from the Norwegian people.

Madeleine: Lars Bevanger is a journalist based in Oslo Norway. Thanks so much for speaking with us.

Lars: No problem.

 

[Alexandria]

Well, that sounds nice that the Norwegian people support Crown Prince Haakon's upcoming role as a father and would not put up too much of a fuss if he wanted to spend some time with his new baby and Mette-Marit. And I think it's also very generous that the government is willing to compromise a bit and meet Haakon half way on this issue.

 

[norwegianne]

Good interview. Thanks dennis.

 

[Dennism]

No problem. You're welcome.

 

[Dennism]

Mette-Marit wearing Jeans upon arrival in Madrid: May 2004

Two more photos of them arriving from Corbis.

1

2

 

[theprincess]

Mette-Marit wearing Jeans upon arrival in Madrid: May 2004

I don't like CP Mette Marit's outfit...she is dressed way to casual. Especially, since CP Haakon is wearing a suit.

 

[Eliza]

I don't like CP Mette Marit's outfit...she is dressed way to casual. Especially, since CP Haakon is wearing a suit.

I agree...she shld hve made an effort to dress better. what she wore here is just too casual esp if cp is in a suit.

 

[defalco]

I don't like CP Mette Marit's outfit...she is dressed way to casual. Especially, since CP Haakon is wearing a suit.

I agree...she shld hve made an effort to dress better. what she wore here is just too casual esp if cp is in a suit.

Really? Her outfit is what I loved! I adored how casual it was. It made her look really natural and comfortable.