General News and Information for the Norwegian Royal Family: 2003 -

[Muhler]

One of the well-covered topics in the press here in Denmark these days is the Norwegian Kings-Horn.
https://politiken.dk/kultur/historie...-tilbage%C2%AB

It currently resides in the National Museum in Copenhagen, but the Norwegians have expressed a wish to have it presented to Norway. Preferably in connection with the reopening of the Norwegian National Museum in 2020.
The Kongshorn as it is called in Danish/Norwegian stems back from 1380, when King Håkon VI died and his wife Queen Margrethe became "Mistress of the North i.e. the de facto Queen of Norway, Denmark and Sweden, even if she was really "only" a regent for her sons.
Since then Denmark and Norway was a dual-kingdom until 1814, in reality Norway was pretty much a part of Denmark, with Danish kings on the throne.

The horn is as such an important and unique national symbol for the last medieval king of Norway. It's the only Norwegian horn of it's kind, where you can truly say, this is a horn worthy of a king!
As such the Norwegians have expressed a wish to have the horn not returned (because it was brought to Denmark by Queen Margrethe I, who now doubt wished to let her won son inherit it, and somehow it stayed in Denmark) but presented as a gift to Norway as a token of the close and good relations between the two countries.

It's not that simple actually. Because Queen Margrethe was daughter of King Valdemar, and although he was King of Denmark, he originated from the duchies of Schleswig & Holstein in what is now Northern Germany, so there is an affiliation with the DRF as well.

However, the sentiment here in DK seems to point towards a willingness to present the horn to Norway in the same way the Icelandic sagas were returned to Iceland where they are very much a national symbol.
And while we are talking about returning stuff, it has long been a Danish wish that the Swedes return a number of items, they robbed from us during the Danish-Swedish wars in the 1600's. - But the Swedes are reluctant, so we may have to invade soon, march on Stockholm and reclaim our treasures and while we are at it take back the old Danish lands of Halland, Blekinge and Skåne.

But back to the horn. It's up to the Danish Minister of Culture to decide whether the horn should be presented to Norway. If that happens, which is far from unlikely, it will no doubt be a royal event.
I can very well imagine QMII (she's gonna take that one!) sailing to Oslo aboard Dannebrog and present it to King Harald at a ceremony.

- But what are the thoughts in Noway?

[eya]

In honor of the national day of the Sami people today the Palace posted a lovely picture back 1969 when then CP Harald and CP Sonja visit Karasjok!

https://scontent.fath4-1.fna.fbcdn.n...15&oe=5ADAE3F6

And the picture of Princess Martha Louise in her instagram

https://www.instagram.com/p/Be2TSXcl...rtha_louise123

[Tatiana Maria]

Originally Posted by ROYAL NORWAY

Well, let's go through what I wrote in post 579:

It was Märtha herself who said this in an interview (I don't remember exactly when).

It was Haakon who said this in an interview (I don't remember exactly when).

As you can see in the quote, this is the part from the commentators.
To be more specific, I think it was the royal author Tor Bomann-Larsen who said it in a TV-interview (very serious guy BTW).
Wibecke Lie, former royal reporter at NTB (Norwegian News Agency) said something similar, if I remember correctly.

Thank you for explaining this. As people abroad have debated about the reasons Sverre Magnus was not given the HRH (and even about elevating him when Haakon ascends the throne), I had assumed there were no official answers. They and I undoubtedly did not see the interviews.

If anyone has the interviews, I would appreciate it.

Originally Posted by ROYAL NORWAY

Well, they would never have told him that he's not allowed out on the balcony.

They only had two choices:
1. Tell him that he has to stand there (they did).
2. Tell him that he could decide himself.

Originally Posted by ROYAL NORWAY

1. To receive state funding (apanage), he has to be a member of the Royal House. - So no, he won't.
2. Well, I think we must assume that he won't perform any royal duties at all. - Why?

Märtha: She carries out some few public duties on behalf of the King in areas concerning persons with disabilities. She is also active as patron of eight organisations, and as Chair of Princess Märtha Louise's Fund. - But as I wrote in post 579, she is (since her marriage) not a Royal Highness, her birthday are not an official flag day, she's not longer on the balcony on May 17th, she does not receive any apanage from the state, and she pays taxes.

Sverre: Unlike Märtha, he has never been a member of the Royal House, and is not likely to accept any patronages when he turns 18 (age of legal majority in Norway).

Prince Sverre Magnus's yearly appearances on the balcony surprise me because they suggest he will have a more prominent role than the princesses who are not allowed on the balcony. It would be fairer to put him in a similar position to his aunt and great-aunt at least once he marries, and I hope you are proven right.

Originally Posted by ROYAL NORWAY

Why did the King (in consultation with Haakon) decide that Sverre should not be a member of the Royal House? Well, in addition to the stuff mentioned above, the King also had another thing in mind:

VG article from 2005: Kongen bryter norske tradisjoner - VG

With ''few members,'' they mean the monarch/consort, the heir/wife, and the eldest child of the heir.

I didn't know whether Ms. Versto meant that Sverre Magnus would have the freedom to choose between a career and full-time public duties, or that Sverre Magnus was bound to work at a career and would have the freedom to choose his job. What do you think was meant?

Further, if Prince Sverre Magnus marries a non-royal woman with the consent of the King and has children who are in the line of succession, what role do you imagine his wife and children would have? Would the wife be a princess, would she give up her career once she marries, and would she perform public duties? Would the children be princesses/princes, would they have professional careers, and would they be offered patronages?

Originally Posted by ROYAL NORWAY

The only non-Royal House member with a prominent role is Princess Astrid.

Why is she more prominent? Because from the death of CP Märtha (her mother) in 1954 until the wedding between CP Harald and Sonja Haraldsen in 1968, Princess Astrid was Norway's First lady (despite not being a member of the Royal House after her wedding in 1961).
If Princess Ragnhild (Astrid's older sister) had continued to live in Norway after her wedding in 1953, she would have taken that role instead her younger sister.

In which way are she more prominent? Well, in her years as First lady, she was in many ways, her grandfather and father's consort, while representing Norway and the Royal Family at home and abroad.

After she ceased to be First lady in 1968, she continued to represent her father and brother, and performed several royal duties in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s until her health began to decline early in the 2000s.
But she is still (despite her frailness) quite active for her 12 patronages, and continues to represent the King each year.
And unlike Märtha (who only participates in gala dinners for foreign royals), Princess Astrid attends all gala dinners.

In 2002 (when she turned 70) the Government granted the Princess an honorary pension (which she has to pay income tax on) in recognition of all her efforts on behalf of Norway both during and following her years as First Lady.
She was registered with an income of over one million (NOK), and a fortune worth over 40 million (NOK) in 2015 and 2016.
She also has a lady-in-waiting and a secretary (paid for by the court), and disposes a chauffeur-driven car.

Thanks! I have learned a great deal about Princess Astrid from you. But I'm puzzled with regard to the source of her income and fortune, given that she did not receive state funding.

[ROYAL NORWAY]

I know you've wanted my thoughts on this for a LONG time, so here we go:

And to those who don't understand any of this? Well, this was originally discussed in the ''May 17th'' thread, so Tatiana Maria's quotes from my posts are from there.

Originally Posted by Tatiana Maria

Thank you for explaining this. As people abroad have debated about the reasons Sverre Magnus was not given the HRH (and even about elevating him when Haakon ascends the throne), I had assumed there were no official answers. They and I undoubtedly did not see the interviews.

If anyone has the interviews, I would appreciate it.

You're very welcome!

I think the TV-interview with Haakon was done in connection with Sverre's birth, while the interview with Märtha was done in connection with her wedding in 2002, or when she started her ''Angel School'' in 2007.
Both these interviews were available on NRK's old NETT-TV, until it was replaced with a newer version in 2012.
But Märtha has also talked about why she lost her position as a member of the Royal House in other interviews with Newspapers/Magazines, which I think will still be available online. - And if I get over them, I will send them to you.

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Originally Posted by Tatiana Maria

Prince Sverre Magnus's yearly appearances on the balcony surprise me because they suggest he will have a more prominent role than the princesses who are not allowed on the balcony. It would be fairer to put him in a similar position to his aunt and great-aunt at least once he marries, and I hope you are proven right.

1. But as I wrote in post 579 in the ''May 17th'' thread, Ragnhild, Astrid, and Märtha was on the balcony until they married and then ceased to be members of the Royal House.
2. Sverre: Despite not being a member of the Royal House, he is (like his aunt and grand-aunts) a child of the heir/monarch, and will therefore stand on the balcony until he marries.
3. If the King and the CP couple had wanted him to have a more prominent role than the princesses, then he would have been a member of the Royal House with the style of Royal Highness from when he was born.

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Originally Posted by Tatiana Maria

I didn't know whether Ms. Versto meant that Sverre Magnus would have the freedom to choose between a career and full-time public duties, or that Sverre Magnus was bound to work at a career and would have the freedom to choose his job. What do you think was meant?

That the King (supported by the CP couple) thought it would give him greater freedom to choose his own future/career if he was not born as a member of the Royal House, especially since he will have to earn his own money, and would have lost his status as a Royal House member once he was married, anyway.

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Originally Posted by Tatiana Maria

Further, if Prince Sverre Magnus marries a non-royal woman with the consent of the King and has children who are in the line of succession, what role do you imagine his wife and children would have? Would the wife be a princess, would she give up her career once she marries, and would she perform public duties? Would the children be princesses/princes, would they have professional careers, and would they be offered patronages?

Would Sverre's wife be a princess? That is up to the monarch, but I don't think so. - Why? Most Norwegians (politicians, commentators, experts and myself included) are VERY keen on gender equality, and the criticism will therefore be ENORMOUS if Sverre's wife became a princess, while Erling Lorentzen, Johan Martin Ferner & Ari Behn didn't become princes.
The headlines will be something like this: ''The spouses of male non-Royal House members receives titles, while the spouses of female non-Royal House members does not. - Gender equality anyone?''

Would she give up her career once she marries? No, she won't (I will actually go so far as to say that I'm 100% sure about that). - Why? Well, because that woman will marry a prince who is not a member of the Royal House, and he will most likely have a career of his own. Their alternative is to live of a trust-fund, but the NRF isn't that rich, so that would be quite difficult.
Would she perform public duties? No, she won't (I will say that I'm 100% sure about that too). - Why? Same as above.

Would their children be princesses/princes? No, they won't (I will say that I'm 200% sure about that). - Why? Because their parents would not be members of the Royal House, not that they had received any titles, anyway (this is not Denmark or Sweden).
Would their children have professional careers? Yes, they would (I will say that I'm 200% sure about that too). - Why? Well, they will need something to live of.
Would their children be offered patronages? No way (and I couldn't be more sure). - Why? Because (as the children of Ragnhild, Astrid, and Märtha) they won't have any titles, or official functions at all.

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Originally Posted by Tatiana Maria

Thanks! I have learned a great deal about Princess Astrid from you. But I'm puzzled with regard to the source of her income and fortune, given that she did not receive state funding.

You're welcome!

Well, the numbers come from Norway's official tax lists.

Her income: The honorary pension was at 396.000 NOK in 2002, likely to be much higher now. The rest of her income comes from investments, funds, etc.

Her fortune: As I wrote in the ''May 17th'' thread, she was registered with a fortune worth over 40 millions NOK in 2015 and 2016.
This was down from 2007, when she was registered with 68,7 millions NOK.
Bad investments? Well, I doubt it. - She had probably just transferred some assets/money to her children/grandchildren.

P.S: Be aware that these numbers don't necessarily reflect reality. Published incomes are almost always far less than actual income, because they're adjusted for deductions, while net worth figures are also much less than actual net worth. That's because they also reflect assessed tax valuations of real estate, for example, not market value, and many other assets are depreciated.
Which means that this princess of ours is probably worth even more.

Where does her wealth come from? Well, she inherited a two-digit million amount after her father, King Olav in 1991 (that is what the court would say about it), so we must assume that most of her wealth comes from him. - And perhaps she has been lucky with her investments.
BTW, if some of you wonders: Did Princess Astrid and her late sister had to pay tax on their inheritance? No, the Ministry of Finance decided that they didn't have to pay a penny

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In other news:

Kjell Arne Totland @TV2KjellArne
ROYALS ON ARCTIC CRUISE #KingHarald & #QueenSonja of #Norway & their entire #family are currently cruising along the coast of #Spitsbergen on board the #royal #yacht #Norge.

Kjell Arne Totland @TV2KjellArne
WILL THEY SEE POLAR BEARS? #KingHarald & #QueenSonja of #Norway & their entire family are currently on a week-long #arctic #cruise around #Spitsbergen on board the #royal #yacht #Norge.

NRK article: Kongefamilien til Svalbard - translation

Blog post from Royal Expert, Kjell Arne Totland: Hele kongefamilien på sommertokt til Svalbard - translation

[eya]

Princess Martha Louise wish to her father for the Father's Day today:

"Happy Father’s Day my wonderful, witty, wise and warm-hearted father. I love you very much. ������"

https://www.instagram.com/p/BqDFQxch6uo/

[ROYAL NORWAY]

Well, let's go through the royal year of 2019:

The King: Will, despite his frailty (I.e. back/leg problems), continue with a busy programme (both alone and with other members of The RF), which will include The Regent-Couple's annual county-trip, a outward (perhaps also a inward) state visit, a whole bunch of audineces/luncheons, several engagements around the country and the annual events such as The May 17th celebrations, The opening of the Storthing, The galla-dinner for the MPs and The Nobel Peace Prize celebrations.

The Queen: Will most likely continue to form her solo-engagements around stuff such as Norwegian outdoor-life, art and culture.

The Crown Prince: Will continue with a busy programme (both alone and with The Crown Princess), which will include his work for ''Norway’s campaign for a seat on the UN Security Council (1921-1922),'' The CP-Couple's annual county-trip, several engagements around the country and perhaps some trips abroad.

The Crown Princess: Will work to promote Norwegian literature abroad - and participate in engagements based on her day-to-day form.

Princess Märtha Louise: Will continue to work for her patronages - and attend some engagements when she is needed.

Princess Astrid: Will, despite her frailty (I.e. Parkinson's disease and osteoporosis), continue to work for her patronages and attend some engagements, including galla-dinners at the palace.

And last but not least, Princess Ingrid Alexandra will be confirmed in the autumn.

Read more about it in this post (link).

[Muhler]

Hmm, looks to me that Ingrid is destined to take on considerably higher degree of jobs at an earlier stage than her comparable royal colleagues are.
A matter of necessity, alas.

[Alisa]

I think so too. Given CP Mette-Marit's illness and the set back that may cause, we may see more from Princess Ingrid Alexandra than planned.

Also this is a good opportunity for Martha Louise to step up to the plate and be more of use to the family. She is great and I certainly would enjoy seeing her more!

[ROYAL NORWAY]

If I had been in agreement with you that she is great, yes, I agree! - Although, she is not a member of The Royal House, so that would only be if she was needed or had to step in for CP MM during an engagement.

But we talk about a woman here who flies around from one television-studio to another, talking about her angels, her ''high-sensitivity,'' her ''terrible time with the media in her youth'' (I.e. the way they took photos of her, etc) and the criticism she has recived from them during the last years.
And last but not least, Märtha standing in a room learning paying-people to speak with angels, which has angered both MPs in The Storting and bishops, has in fact (at least IMO) made her a burden to her parents and to the institution of The Norwegian monarchy as a whole.

[marian]

I think that Ingrid must assume more of its responsibility than Martha louise. In the first place, both olav and harald discriminated to Martha, and i think that the problem is of the heir male, in this case of Haakon, and of his machist father the King, to resolve this. I hope that Martha left to the devil by the word the monarchical institution that discriminated it, and to the whole society for treating it of mental imbalances for its beliefs.

[Lyonnaise]

Sorry, but I disagree. It's not IA's job to pick up for her mother. She's still a child. It's nice that she's been doing small engagements, but her #1 responsibility at the moment should be to finish school and have a solid educational background.

If MM's illness becomes so grave that she can't do any engagements at all, then I'd expect the King, Queen, Haakon, (and Martha Louise, to a lesser extent) to pick up the slack. Ingrid Alexandra needs to remain a teenager and "responsibility free" as long as possible. Why rush her into a role when there are actual adults who can do it?

(I also feel that fandom has made Mette-Marit a lot sicker than she actually is. I didn't get the impression from the announcement that she was on death's door step. Didn't her doctors say she had a slow progressing version of the illness?)

[Muhler]

The sad point I, and others I believe, is making is that Ingrid may not have the option of solely focusing on her education.

If Mette-Marit's condition deteriorates within the next few years, which is not unlikely, there is really only one fully fit for fight adult left in the NRF.
The King is increasingly frail and that combined with his age, means that we must consider the possibility that he will not be around for more than a few more years. - Either because he dies or simply become increasingly unable to fulfill his duties.
Queen Sonia is getting older as well.

As much as I'm sure they would like to, they simply cannot step up more than what they already do.

Then we have Märtha Louise. Well, technically speaking she is no longer a working member of the NRF. And judging from Royal Norway's assessments and opinion, which I value very much, she does not appear particularly suited nor willing to be of assistance in this matter.
Just as bad, Märtha Louise does not appear to command much public respect. So in a sense her "lending a hand" so to speak, may be more contra-productive that than Ingrid increasing her workload, who on top of that will be showered in public sympathy.

Also, keep in mind that Ingrid will joined a few years later by her younger brother, Sverre.
So in ten years, there may very well, in the worst case but not unlikely scenario, be only three adult representatives for Norway, Haakon, Ingrid and Sverre.
It's what happens in the next ten years that is crucial. After that the workload can be shared more. But it will still be hard though! Three working adults, of which two at the same time has to undergo an extensive education and preparation, is a critical low number!

I sincerely hope Mette-Marit will be around and in relative good form in ten years. First and foremost for the sake of her children, but also for Norway.
But we have to take into consideration that she may have as little as five years left from now.

[Biri]

Why is Martha Louise non-working royal?
Her parents have only Haakon and her, the Royal family doesn't "suffer" from the excessive amount of working royals

[wartenberg7]

Originally Posted by marian

I think that Ingrid must assume more of its responsibility than Martha louise. In the first place, both olav and harald discriminated to Martha, and i think that the problem is of the heir male, in this case of Haakon, and of his machist father the King, to resolve this. I hope that Martha left to the devil by the word the monarchical institution that discriminated it, and to the whole society for treating it of mental imbalances for its beliefs.

uhhmm...I must confess I am pretty speechless about your very weird post...! King Harald never "discriminated" his own daughter, who he loves, nor is he "machist"! You don´t really seem to know anything about this family, except may be out of gossip magazines! If you would, you would never write such things.
By the way, I thank God every day on my knees that Haakon is the Crown Prince and not his sister who has hardly proven she would have been suitable for the "job"....!

[Somebody]

Originally Posted by Muhler

If Mette-Marit's condition deteriorates within the next few years, which is not unlikely, there is really only one fully fit for fight adult left in the NRF.
The King is increasingly frail and that combined with his age, means that we must consider the possibility that he will not be around for more than a few more years. - Either because he dies or simply become increasingly unable to fulfill his duties.
Queen Sonia is getting older as well.

As much as I'm sure they would like to, they simply cannot step up more than what they already do.

Then we have Märtha Louise. Well, technically speaking she is no longer a working member of the NRF. And judging from Royal Norway's assessments and opinion, which I value very much, she does not appear particularly suited nor willing to be of assistance in this matter.
Just as bad, Märtha Louise does not appear to command much public respect. So in a sense her "lending a hand" so to speak, may be more contra-productive that than Ingrid increasing her workload, who on top of that will be showered in public sympathy.

Also, keep in mind that Ingrid will joined a few years later by her younger brother, Sverre.
So in ten years, there may very well, in the worst case but not unlikely scenario, be only three adult representatives for Norway, Haakon, Ingrid and Sverre.
It's what happens in the next ten years that is crucial. After that the workload can be shared more. But it will still be hard though! Three working adults, of which two at the same time has to undergo an extensive education and preparation, is a critical low number!

I sincerely hope Mette-Marit will be around and in relative good form in ten years. First and foremost for the sake of her children, but also for Norway.
But we have to take into consideration that she may have as little as five years left from now.

If I understand things correctly, Sverre will not join Ingrid Alexandra in taking part of the workload as he is NOT a member of the royal house. So, while he might show up on some of the major events, it would be contrary to the decision taken at his birth to ask him to step up, even if it is only Haakon and Ingrid Alexandra left doing most of the work.

[Muhler]

Originally Posted by Somebody

If I understand things correctly, Sverre will not join Ingrid Alexandra in taking part of the workload as he is NOT a member of the royal house. So, while he might show up on some of the major events, it would be contrary to the decision taken at his birth to ask him to step up, even if it is only Haakon and Ingrid Alexandra left doing most of the work.

He is third in line for the throne, regardless of whatever decisions were made in the past circumstances change. So it may be a matter of necessity to elevate his position and his workload.

[Somebody]

It indeed shows that the original decision was not the smartest (and you would think that the family knows what the risks are on depending on so few family members) but getting back on that decision and afterwards kicking him out again might not be a smart idea either.

[Muhler]

Agree.
But if his role is to be changed, the decision has to be made soon. I.e. within the next couple of years.

Anyway, it is IMO a fairly simple matter to give him some jobs for the NRF. He doesn't have to have a direct constitutional role, but he sure can represent the NRF domestically. That IMO would be a tremendous help for Haakon and Ingrid.

Also, it might be beneficial for him as well.
In the worst case scenario Sverre will lose his mother and grandfather (perhaps even his grandmother!) within a few years. His father and sister can to some extent work on their grief and loss by working and doing their duty. And the circumstances will dictate that Ingrid and Haakon will become closer - not least seen through the eyes of a grief-stricken boy.
So I think it would help Sverre at lot, if he is allowed to "do his bit" in order to help his father and sister. That involves him and makes him a part of it.
Leaving him out would IMO be a kind of psychological cruelty.

[ROYAL NORWAY]

Originally Posted by marian

i think that ingrid must assume more of its responsibility than martha louise. In the first place, both olav and harald discriminated to martha, and i think that the problem is of the heir male, in this case of haakon, and of his machist father the king, to resolve this. I hope that martha left to the devil by the word the monarchical institution that discriminated it, and to the whole society for treating it of mental imbalances for its beliefs.

Hmm, the ''machist'' father of Haakon, whom you're talking about, is actually unknown to me.

Because to my knowledge, Haakon has only one father, and that is a man known for his strong support for women, the Norwegian LGBT-community and his two children. - And whom Märtha (with tears in her eyes) has described in interviews as an amazing father who's always been there for her and supported her through difficult periods of life, even been talking about his ''magical kindness'' on Instagram.

And when it comes to the altering of Article 6 (English link) in the Constitution to introduce absolute primogeniture among the grandchildren and further eligible descendants of the then CP Harald in 1990, it was the government/Storting who (after advise from King Olav V) decided that ''man kan ikke ta en hest ut av racet når det allerede er startet.''
Translated to: ''One cannot take a horse out of the race when it has already started,'' as Olav, according to Märtha, said it. (The ''horse'' being Haakon who was already 17-years-old at the time.)
Something the Princess herself was actually ''very happy about,'' since she, anyway, struggled with attending royal engagements, due to her already then ''high-sensitivity.''

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Originally Posted by lyonnaise

Sorry, but i disagree. It's not ia's job to pick up for her mother. She's still a child. It's nice that she's been doing small engagements, but her #1 responsibility at the moment should be to finish school and have a solid educational background.

She has been on the balcony for the televised May 17th celebrations for years, attended several televised-events to celebrate The Regent-Couple's Silver Jubilee in 2016, their 80th Birthdays in 2017 and their Goldden Vedding Anniversary in 2018, christened two ships (the last one in a televised ceremony), where she also spoke to reporters, so not bad.

And she will of course not be a full-time-working royal before she has fulfilled school and got herself an education.

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Originally Posted by lyonnaise

if mm's illness becomes so grave that she can't do any engagements at all, then i'd expect the king, queen, haakon, (and martha louise, to a lesser extent) to pick up the slack. Ingrid alexandra needs to remain a teenager and "responsibility free" as long as possible. Why rush her into a role when there are actual adults who can do it?

The King: Is an almost 82-year-old man with back/leg-problems who's been operated for bladder cancer in 2003, for heart-problems in 2005 - and treated in hospital for an infection in 2017.
And despite this, he had around 314 engagements last year, so NOT at all room for more.

The Queen: Is amazingly fit and active for her age at 81, still out in the mountains/wods on her trekking/skiing-tours and everything, but she suffers from arthritis - and has had to cancel some commitments due to pain in resent years.
But she had around 134 engagements in 2018 - plus several non-official meetings and stuff regarding the daily running of the Royal Estates, etc.

The Crown Prince: Was busy with around 240 engagements last year, which is more than enough IMO.

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Originally Posted by lyonnaise

(i also feel that fandom has made mette-marit a lot sicker than she actually is. I didn't get the impression from the announcement that she was on death's door step. Didn't her doctors say she had a slow progressing version of the illness?)

Yes! And therefore she can live with it for about 10-15 years, although the average survival-rate for ''Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis'' (which is thought to be the type she's suffering from) is unfortunately just 3-5 years from being diagnosed.

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Originally Posted by Biri

Why is Martha Louise non-working royal?
Her parents have only Haakon and her, the Royal family doesn't "suffer" from the excessive amount of working royals

Because The King wanted to continue the tradition with having a small Royal House. I.e. the monarch/consort plus the heir/wife.

Read more in the May 17th thread, posts 579-589.

It was the same with Sverre, and since he was never going to have a full-time-royal role anyway, the CP-Couple advised HM to not make him a RH-member at his birth (hence no Royal Highness style, official flag-day on his birthday, or tax-free apanage). - Because in that way, he wouldn't have to go through the burden of losing it all, when he was to marry.

The monarch can of course redo the decision, but that would REALLY surprise me.

But in the scenario of Haakon and Ingrid being the two only living (or capable) members of The Royal House, then I can see him getting into a role, similar to that of Princess Astrid.

So, let's go through it: Well, following her mother's death in 1954, she became Norway's first-lady.
A role she had (also after her wedding in 1961, when she ceased to be a member of the Royal House and therefore lost the style of Royal Highness) until her brother's wedding in 1968, when Sonja became the new first-lady.
But she continued to attend a lot of royal events also after that, and was in reality a full-time-working member of The RF until the early 2000s, when her health began to decline.
And although she didn't receive her own apanage, all her costs were covered by the court.

[ROYAL NORWAY]

Well, interest in The RF has gone from great to greater here in recent years, something the TV-companies of course know how to exploit. - Because NRK (the state-owned Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, which is the largest media organisation in Norway) is now in the production-fase of their new eight-episode series, ''Atlantic Crossing,'' which is about Crown Princess Märtha's WWII-efforts during her stay in The US with her 3 children - and her enigmatic relationship with Franklin D. Roosevelt. (Eya, BTW, wrote a bit about it in The Electronic Domain, back in November.)
The series is a co-production with DR (The Danish Broadcasting Corporation) and SVT (Sweden's Television), and will be shown on both Norwegian, Danish and Swedish TV-channels in 2021 or 2022. - And is already being described as one of the biggest TV-productions in Scandinavian history.

Cast: CP Märtha will be played by Sofia Helin (English Wikipedia-link), Roosevelt by Kyle MacLachlan (English Wikipedia-link) and CP Olav by Tobias Santelmann (English Wikipedia-link).

Very little information about the series in English, but found this site (link).

And be aware that the Norwegian name is: ''Alt for Norge'' (All for Norway), which has been the royal motto of Norwegian monarchs, since 1905.


While the Scandinavian entertainment company, Nordic Film, together with the commercial TV2 Group (Norway's second largest media company) is planning a series about King Haakon VII (known to almost everyone here as The King who said NO to Hitler).
It will start from when he as Prince Carl of Denmark was elected King of Norway in 1905 - and last until his death in 1957 as ''King Haakon the Great'' (which the VG-newspaper described him as on their front page, at the time).
The series will cost around 100 million NOK and is scheduled to be aired in 2022. It will most likely be bought by Danish TV2 and Swedish TV4 as well.


There's also been rumors of an NRK series about CP Harald and Sonja Haraldsen's 9-year struggle for love, but we don't know anything for sure yet.