Mette-Marit's pregnancy with Ingrid Alexandra

[Josefine]

is there a baby watch in norway now?

[norwegianne]

Well, I suppose the newspapers will have reporters stationed outside the hospital when the date for delivery is approaching.

The fact that the crown princess had to leave the concert by Oslo gospel choir, and her sister in law, is just an evidence that the delivery is approaching. I doubt that anyone's sitting and waiting for it tonight. But January will be about the new heir to the throne.

(And I'm living in a part of the country where I won't be able to hear the cannons salute the newborn.)

[Lady Jean]

I would think the photographers are ready now .....the last two royal babies (England and Netherlands) came so early! :woot:

[Dennism]

"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. "

I should not have posted it if there were so many mistakes. Oops.

[norwegianne]

I just know that Crown Prince Haakon stated in an interview done relatively early in the pregnancy that they didn't want to know the sex of the baby.

They could have changed their minds... but I hardly think anyone would have told the press.

As far as I know nobody knew the sex of Maud Angelica before she was born either.

[Elizajane]

Originally posted by norwegianne@Dec 18th, 2003 - 5:34 am
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

From experience, I believe Mette-Marit is allowed to "feel badly" during her 8th month of pregnancy. She has been "so active" during her pregnancy and I don't think many expected her to be so. Maybe she wasn't subject to much morning sickness!

Elizajane

[Dennism]

"It's widely expected that the looming birth of Norway's new royal heir, next in line to the throne after Crown Prince Haakon, will lead to a burst of popularity for the royal family in Norway. Whether the new heir will ever actually be monarch, however, remains to be seen.

That's because the overall popularity of the monarchy in Norway has waned in recent years, while royal family members seem to find it increasingly hard to balance their roles as both royal and folksey

Crown Prince Haakon himself has expressed doubts about whether he wants to be king, and once threatened to abdicate if he wasn't allowed to marry commoner Mette-Marit Tjessem Hoeiby. Their child, due later this month, may only boost the monarchy in the short-term.

"The newborn will doubt even more," predicts author and philosopher Nina Karin Monsen. She told newspaper Aftenposten over the weekend that the child likely will be influenced by his or her parents' reservations.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit herself comes from a middle-class family in Kristiansand and led a distinctly un-royal life before marrying the crown prince.

"I think Harald will be our last king," Monsen told Aftenposten. "The only thing preventing Haakon and Mette-Marit from abdicating is that they're caught in their roles, because what would they really do if they weren't supported by the people?"

Monsen's views may seem extreme, but others echo reservations as well.

"The republican alternative doesn't really excite people," says Thomas Hylland Eriksen, a professor in social anthropology at the University of Oslo. "We have a system (Norway's constitutional monarchy) that works, and which many are satisfied with."

He notes that attitudes towards Norway's current royal family, however, are unstable and not very enthusiastic. The call for openness, meanwhile, is strong and the royals are subject to criticism as never before.

Hylland Eriksen also noted the tough balancing act between the royals' public duties and their desire to have private, ordinary lives. "When a royal becomes too folksey, it takes away their mysticism," he says.

Author Gisle Hollekim, who has profiled Europe's seven royal heirs, believes their children should be able to have the possibility of filling a role in the future, in a modern monarchy. "The challenge for the royal family is to modernize in such a way that they satisfy both the system and the people," Hollekim says.

Author Tor Bomann-Larsen, who's been granted unique access to royal archives, believes Norway's new royal heir will witness a continuing, and strong, debate on the future of the country's constitutional monarchy.

Bomann-Larsen contends that the restoration of Norway's monarchy in 1905 was a national solution suited to its time, that later became part of the national identity. The emergence of its fifth generation will likely show the family organism to be strong, while the state system supporting it may be weak."

Phooey, I say. Mette-Marit and Martha Louise, while unique in their way, should bring about more support for the monachy because of who they way!

"Their child, due later this month, may only boost the monarchy in the short-term"

Phooey. The Norwegians are modern monarchs and will have success in their roles!

[norwegianne]

From a piece in today's Aftenbladet. Due to time concerns I didn't translate the entire thing, I'll see if I can get to it later.

Assignment number one for her Royal Mummy Mette-Marit
When Crown Princess Mette-Marit has given birth to her second child she has done her number one job: she has pushed the next Norwegian heir to the throne out.

ROYAL BIRTH: The Crown Princess’ most important assignment is bringing on the royal bloodlines, thus securing the line to the throne. The girl from Kristiansand who now is walking around in Skaugum’s rooms and waits, looks over the baby’s clothes, checks for sign that the birth is underway has maybe reflected a bit over how her life has turned out. When she seven years ago gave birth to her first child, she was one of many single mothers in Norway. She had, until her pregnancy, lived like a beautiful young woman who loved partying, but had no clear direction where she wanted to take her life, least of all career-wise. Then she was left with sole responsibility for little Marius.

CROWNING IT.
Now she has married into the leading family in the country, she has all the material and social safety any young mother could want around her child. Child support from the state doesn’t count in this family’s budget, if they’re entitled to it at all. But she has more obligations and expectations towards her than any other Norwegian mother. Two and a half years ago after the magnificent wedding, she is now about to crown the alliance: a small baby whose destiny was predestined from conception. If it’s a boy he’s our future King, is it a girl she will be the first female monarch since Queen Margrethe, 600 years ago. An exciting thought for equal opportunity Norway! This child will also be the little brother or little sister of an half brother without royal blood and birth. It’s no easy task ahead, raising two children as regular siblings, when one is irregular. They will be raised to be different, without making a difference between them.

THE ROYAL STEP-FAMILY
This might be a lot on her mind right now. She knows a bit on how it is to live in a family where there are children from another relationship, a royal step-family with “my” child. Now is “our” child arriving, and it will make life different for all of them. As a mother she must have enjoyed how stepfather, Crown Prince Haakon, has taken responsibility and been involved in caring for Marius. He must have aced the step-father test, and proven mature enough to become a father in his own right. She has also passed her test. The shy woman who slouched her back, a pony-tail, sneakers and a partially hidden cigarette that we saw in the first pictures of the Crown Prince’s girlfriend has straightened up. She’s a good dresser, with nice suits, great hats, and gorgeous dresses. She has also become accustomed to representing more on her own. Today we see a more secure and mature woman than the shy, but very much in love, miss Tjessem Høiby in the silk-sofa at the Palace when the engagement became public in December, 2000.

APPROVED BY THE PEOPLE
We down here in the people have become used to a Crown Princess named Mette-Marit, a name we associate with a series of books for young girls from the ‘60s. We like that she has kept her southern dialect, she has gradually grown into her role as a royal. She probably still has the sneakers and duffel-coat in the closet, even if we’ve lately seen her in proper coats and dresses over the bigger stomach. The single mother with a wild past has been raised, cleansed and blessed by the church and gradually accepted by the people. But judging by polls made it seems to be a while before she’s universally loved by the people. The ones married into the royal family are those with the lowest score in the polls, Mette-Marit is second lowest in most polls, ahead of Ari Behn. Just now the Crown prince is at the top in popularity regarding those under 40. “It looks like the year in London, with studies and quiet to nurture the relationship, has done her good. She has seemed more self-confident the last year,” says journalist Wibecke Lie. As NTB’s journalist with responsibility for covering the Royal family, she has followed Mette-Marit’s development close. She has noticed that the Crown Princess is good at getting in touch with “regular people.” She meets children, and teens in a particular good way, they interest her and it doesn’t seem fake.

[theprincess]

Originally posted by norwegianne@Jan 20th, 2004 - 12:52 pm
From a piece in today's Aftenbladet. Due to time concerns I didn't translate the entire thing, I'll see if I can get to it later.



.

What a wonderful article! Thankyou for taking the time to translate, I certainly apprieciate it and I'm sure other do too! Personally, I think that CP Mette-Marit is do her very best and that in time the norwigan people will grow to love her.

[Alexandria]

Thank you so much for this translation norwegianne, quick or not. It was a nice read, and I add my own appreciation to theprincess' comments above.

One of the parts that really 'struck' me was the part about Mette-Marit's self-confidence having grown in the past year during her stay in London. I think that is very true. Certainly since the pregnancy announcment I think I've seen Mette-Marit show much more certainty and confidence at her public functions.

I also really liked this little bit: She probably still has the sneakers and duffel-coat in the closet, even if we’ve lately seen her in proper coats and dresses over the bigger stomach. -- Glad to know Mette-Marit is still true to her unique, casual style!

Thanks ever so much again norwegianne!

[fortimo]

I found this interesting pictures, but the thread for it already closed, I post here...
After the birth of Ingrid-Alexandra, CP Haakon met the press, and in this time CP Mette-Marit and baby IA were driven by ambulance to Skaugum. The woman is maybe the gynecologist of Mette-Marit.

Søk | Scanpix

And they are arrived in Skaugum:
http://scanpix.no/spWebApp/search.ac...abId=editorial

(Here is the CP-couple on the way to the hospital, Haakon-Magnus drove his pregnant wife, who is on the back seat: http://scanpix.no/spWebApp/search.ac...abId=editorial )