Various News and Discussions about Haakon and Mette-Marit

[unlikeanygirl]

Can someone please transalate this article.
Looks like it is something to do with MM. I hope nothing bad

http://www.side2.no/kjendis/article7...slide=17#slide

thanks.

[norwegianne]

Originally Posted by unlikeanygirl

Can someone please transalate this article.
Looks like it is something to do with MM. I hope nothing bad

http://www.side2.no/kjendis/article7...slide=17#slide

thanks.

It's just about a comedic performance where the comedian in question parodies Mette-Marit.

[unlikeanygirl]

Originally Posted by norwegianne

It's just about a comedic performance where the comedian in question parodies Mette-Marit.

Thanks Larzen.
With the current documentary, I was hoping MM does not have another blow.
Cheers!

[Josefine]

has the speculation of a pregnancy ended what does the norwigien papers say

[Larzen]

Here is the translation of the ELLE interview scanned and summarised by Emma, or most of it, since it was a lot to translate please do not post it on other boardsJ the translation is not 100% correct as I think it is very difficult to transfer the way it is spoken to a language that is not my own, please ignore the spelling mistakes, it was sort of a rush job.

It is still many times I say to Haakon - Can you believe we are together. Had we known in advance what we had to go trough – then maybe we had not….But luckily we did not know. Because we really did not have a choice, I feel very strongly that we belong together.

This month she celebrates her 5th wedding anniversary
Elle had finally gotten an audience with the Crown Princess. Finally she had time to meet us, to talk about life, love, the role as Crown Princess and about the couples humanitarian foundation.

But first: We (ELLE) had planned a photo session in the studio of one of the world’s best fashion photographers, ELLEs Giles Bensimon in New York. We had gone trough the collections of the world’s best fashion designers and had clear thoughts about the fantastic creations we would photograph the Crown Princess in. It was going to be so glamorous. It was going to be the photo shoot Norway had never seen before; it was going to be super exclusive!

But No, She did not want it that way.
-The Crown Princess would like you to photograph her in Southern Norway, by the sea, like for instance Ny-Hellesund. And she would prefer to wear her own clothes, and not too much make-up. She would like it t be simple and informal. And one more thing, she would prefer a Norwegian photographer.
That was the message we got from the palace.

Our first meeting with the Crown Princess about this interview took place in by the sea outside her hometown Kristiansand. The driver of the Taxi boat we had booked did not know what guests we were bringing until she steps in the boat, beautiful, charming and very smiley.

-It was good you did not say who I was going to bring, had I known the Crown Princess was going to be in the boat I would have not slept all night, and I did not even shave, and I should have worn some other clothes. But I suppose it will go fine, she is a bloody likable girl. Says the taxi boat driver

The weather was at its best over southern Norway. The sun is shining and the sea is sparkling
-Is it not incredible beautiful enthuses the Crown Princess
-This is where I grew up, I know every rock, stone and small Island here. No place is more beautiful than the south in the summer.
She smiles and greets to the locals when we walk past the one idyllic location after the other.
………
With her on the photo shoot she has her family. We photograph her all day, and while she is busy the Crown Prince handles the children. Marius plays around on rocks and threes, and then he wants to take a bath. Even if the sun shines it is not particularly warm, but he jumps in. He waits until his mother has time to watch him though. Princess Ingrid Alexandra wants to bath as well but she is not allowed, a decision she is not pleased with. Prince Sverre Magnus sleeps or laughs happily. Crown Prince Haakon handles his children lovingly but strictly and appears as a very charming man. But it is Crown Princess Mette-Marit this is about. It is 5 years since 25 august 2001 the day the single mother Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby became HRH the Crown Princess and touched the whole Kingdom and then some.

- Getting married was fantastic, I will never forget that day. Everyone around me was so stressed, they pottered around me all exited and stressed, but I was calm, I think it was because of all I had gone trough before the wedding. The door to becoming Crown Princess and all the consequences it had. The pressure was enormous. I was going to learn a lot, and at the same time it was a lot of focus on me, and not just positive focus to put it like that. It was not always easy. It was days I thought; I cannot do this. We both did. We went trough many rounds. Many had expectations of what the Crown Princes wife should be like, and I did not fit that picture. I’m happy that time is over. I feel much more that I’m in my place now. In the process leading up to the wedding I got to go trough those parts of my life that has been difficult. Now I have a (avklart) clear relation to it. And as time goes I think the picture of me in other situations has taken over – It is good to stop living in the past. Good to move on, and I’m sure peoples picture of me will change further as I develop in my role.

It is a week since the photo shoot in the south of Norway. We are sitting in one of the many rooms of their home Skaugum. The Crown Princess is some minutes late for our meeting; she excuses herself because Sverre Magnus needed food. She has an hour; soon she is going to The Palace to get ready for the lunch for the Spanish King and Queen. She looks elegant in a white top and brown leg-long pants, discreet makeup, happy and energetic.

- We talked a lot before the wedding about what we could do so the wedding was not just about us. We are both concerned with humanitarian work and in the car on the way to Kristiansand we talked and come to the conclusion we wanted to start a humanitarian foundation. As a Crown Prince Couple we can play a role and help highlight important issues, we are in a position where we can help and create attention. Among other things we get so many gifts from people, when we got married, on wedding days, birthdays etc and we thought it would be nice to let some of it go to somebody else that us. Friends and family knows that what we want as gifts for special days are donations for the foundation and we get that.

- We wanted the work with the foundation to have two parts. We wanted to work with international solidarity and with people in Norway who does not live like us (hmm that would mean approx 4, 5 million). My focus in my role is much about tolerance, both mental health questions and HIV/AIDS tolerance plays a huge part. It is not random that we have chosen these issues. The council for mental health was the first organisation that asked me if I would be their patroness, and this is a place where I feel can have a role. It is so many stigmas tied to mental health, and if it is one thing we can do it is to work to remove prejudices. It is one of the areas where I felt I could really go deep. And connected to my work for the telethon (money went to mental health problems) I got the opportunity to work with this closely for a year. When we lived in London is studied refugee and HIV/AIDS questions. That is when I got a deeper insight in to the different problems

- I think it is important that people are as open as they fell they can about their mental struggles, because none of us avoids it, me neither. I don’t think it is correct to go into details about me, it is my private life. But I do think it is important to have an understanding for what other people go trough. I think today it is easier for a child to say that her mother has broken her foot than her mother has anxiety problems. We must not view mental issues as something abnormal because it is not. I do believe it is more accepted to talk about it now than it used to be, but at the same time mental problems represent weakness, and weaknesses is till not fully accepted in our society. The demand to be perfect is increasing. If you are not perfect than you are not good enough, it is very tiresome. It is impossible to be “perfect” Especially tough it is to see the demands among young people, they are supposed to excel in everything, team sports, individual sports, they should be creative, excel in school, have many friends. To me it is important that children can develop without to many expectations.

- If the Crown Princess should choose only one of these themes to focus on what would you have chosen?
- It is a hypothetical question and I have learnt from my husband that we don’t have to answer those, I think he got it from an episode of the West Wing, she laughs.

- How does the Crown Prince Couple want to work to increase peoples tolerance levels
- It is something we have to work with every day, I like to think of myself as a tolerant human being but it often happens I meet myself in the door (is that an English expression) I think we all experience that we are less tolerant than we like to think. Tolerance is about how you meet and approach other people. Most people have another background than you do, that is why we react differently to things. Let us bee kinder and more generous towards each other.

Every time the Crown Princess appears in public her outfit is commented on in the media, whilst 6 years ago she was criticised for wearing jeans and trainers now she is criticised for using to little Norwegian design and dressing to expensive in Norwegian media. In international media she is though praised for her sophisticated style. The same days we took the picture the local paper had an editorial that the Crown Prince Couples humanitarian engagement was not credible because of their lifestyle and that the crown Princess dressed expensive enough to feed a whole African village.

[Larzen]

continues.........

– This can hardly feel generous?
– It is not always fun to read the comments on how I dress, but it is not what is most important in my role. I would take it much harder if the papers wrote I did my job poorly and I was not present for the people I meet. Besides it is not correct that I don’t use Norwegian design, I do, and have done the last 5 years, not least because it is part of my work as a Crown Princess to promote Norwegian interests and support Norwegian designers. But I can’t send a press release every time I wear something Norwegian, it is impossible and the editorial in Fedrelandsvennen I don’t want to comment on.

- What limitation does the Crown Princess role put on your work
- I don’t think it is relevant to focus on the limitations but would rather focus on the possibilities. It is a gift to be heard when I say something I think is important. What I need to think about is that to be to firm (sure/bombastic/righteous) in my statements. I balance in a field where it is necessary to think thoroughly before I speak (bet she got that from her hubby who never speaks without thinking...a lot)

- You have met a lot of people the last 5 years, who has made the strongest impression on you?
- For me the work for the mental health telethon has made and unforgettable impression, for the first time I felt like I could use the entire Crown Princess role in my work, the meetings I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Another meeting I will never forget was with two young women at a night dorm for prostitutes in Oslo. It is the most brutal meeting with Norwegian reality I have ever had. Two beautiful young women, with all their life in front of them who saw no other option that to prostitute themselves. IT was incredible strong.

- 1,5 years ago you were in Malawi, how has the meeting with suffering children affected you as a mother?
- I travelled there just days after Princess Ingrid Alexandra’s 1st birthday. Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world, and strongly affected by HIV/AIDS. The 4 days there was the worst I have ever seen, we visited many strongly affected areas, in one hospital there were 20 mothers with their sick children in their arms and it was so obvious that some of the newborns was not going to make it much longer. To then leave and go sit in you car, to leave them. It felt so… hopeless, I felt incredible guilty over the fact that I could just leave them, and go home to my healthy children. It was too absurd. But I cannot let go the fact that it meant something that I was there, and I thought I could not just forget about this, it was something we HAD to work with. HIV /AIDS are incredible complicated. It is necessary to focus on what you can do and not what you can’t do. Many African countries have gotten good results from humanitarian projects. It is important for the help to be successful that help is founded in the local community and resources; you need it to be directed on all levels.

- Does the Crown Princess not feel that the gap between the life you live and the life of many of the people gets very big?
- The starting point has to be that we are all humans, we al have he same dreams, we want a good life for our families and children, and those we care about, and if I can help create possibilities for people it is a good thing. I am grateful that I have gotten the possibility to meet so many different people

- It is not many who have experienced such changes in their life like you have?
- Everyone thinks my life has changed so completely, but I have been living it all the time so it does not feel so huge for me as I have been there the whole time, I am not a different person. Of course much is different, but I NEED to keep a level of normality, I have an everyday life as well, my work, the children, dinner, you know…. everyday stuff. No matter what life you lead the most important is to be around people you care about. If I’m going to go around focus on the differences in my life now and then I would have trouble relating to my life as it is now. I am the same but I have gotten incredible possibilities, I have grown a lot the last years and the learning curve has been pretty steep.
-
- What do you like best in your role as Crown Princess?
- It is much I appreciate, but if I should focus on something it should be all the different people I get to meet
- What do you like the least?
- I t would be comfortable with a little less attention sometimes. I don’t think I`m created for it but it is something I must deal with.
She excuses herself, the lunch for the Spanish King and Queen is waiting and she runs of to get ready.

Next time we meet we are in the Crown Prince Couples private apartment at the Palace, a tastefully decorated two room apartment, a living room and a wardrobe (in addition to bedroom and bath I guess), wall to wall with the apartment of the King and Queen. The Crown Princess comes running from a meeting with two young Norwegian designers. The week before she had opened an exhibition “From Valdres to Vogue” where 8 designers present their work.
- It is a wonderful exhibition, I know several of their work from before, but it is interesting to see their work presented like this. I think Norwegian design has high quality but the possibilities for production is not that good here in Norway. But we are moving forward, and I think things will happen in this field as well.
Earlier in the day she was in a jury meeting with the Crown Prince Couples humanitarian foundations writing competition for schoolchildren, the theme is the UN 1000 year goals and HIV/AIDS and how the children see the world.
- Very inspiring, on top of the winner three others will be recognised and wee will meet with them here at the Palace.

- It seems your agenda is always fully booked, do you have time to keep in contact with your old friends.
- Yes I do, I keep contact with many of my old friends, but as peoples life and situation change your circle of friends do as well, especially as you get married, and then I have gotten several new friends as well.

- Is it difficult for you to trust people?
- I would have a poor life if I should go around and think that people would betray my confidence. Besides if people break my trust it is often more of ignorance than for being evil. Of course I hope people I know won’t blabber about my private life but I cannot make my life more complicated by going around being suspicious.
……..
How did you meet Haakon?
- We met trough common friends, at Quart festivalen
- What did you fall for?
She jokes, when the most sought after bachelor is in front of you, you don’t focus on the details. No, seriously, I fell for his warmth, his peculiar humor, it’s a little strange. We laugh a lot together; it happens so much when we travel. On one of our first trips in Norway suddenly it was announced that the Crown Prince would give a speech, that was not in the plans at all, but he did it anyway of the beat because he did not want to disappoint anyone. It was a little empty of content and stottering but I don’t think anyone noticed it, and we had a complete giggle attack about it in the car after words.

- What famous person has had the biggest impression on you?
- My husband no doubt. He is a generous person, one of the most unprejudiced persons I know. He has a strong inner moral and that he lives by. I make an effort everyday to be a good person together with Haakon. He does not speak negative about anyone, and he has but rarely prejudices. My parents in law are also very impressive in how they live for their role. I admire the work they do for Norway. The joy and work they put in their duty I am enormously respectful for.

- You are the most public people in the country, how do you keep the romance.
- We have the same challenges as other parents with small children. But we have great respect for each other and common values but we need to decide to put of time for just the two of us and our love..

[Larzen]

- Ho do you prepare your 3 children for the life they are going to live?
- It is the main challenge in my life right now. My children have great possibilities and we try to give them a normal upbringing, to make them feel secure in their own abilities. It is partly about taking them out skiing or things like that so they can feel they manage on their own already now. I wish to be a good companion for my children in the process of growing up. It is a huge responsibility, bigger than me. I think it is important to spend a lot of time with our children. It was a conscious decision to have reduced agenda after the birth of Sverre Magnus. It is essential that the children know that we are there for them. It is when interacting with the children we become complete people. We are strict parents, in different ways. The Crown Prince is very practical, but it was me who taught the Princess how to ski, just for the record.

- Do you often ski?
- I ski a lot, and yes I agree it’s not that common with a woman from the south skiing, but I grew up in the ski-sled (pulk). When I grew up we had a vacation home at Hovden, and my mother used to pull us in the ski-sled until we learnt to ski by ourselves. There were some years I did not ski at all, but now I have taken it up again (cant be royal in Norway and not *LOVE* to ski ) and now I am hooked on it. In the beginning I only walked to Frognerseteren because that was the way I knew the best but now I walk and ski a lot in the nature in Asker, it is incredible beautiful and not so crowded. We put on the skis at Skaugum and walk right out from there, in the weekends we go the whole family together. Marius has gotten so accomplished, and Ingrid as well, she is only two but she can stand down the hills if she stands between the legs of her brother. I think it is important to raise your children with the Norwegian traditions, and I do really see the value of keeping yourself fit and in good shape, it is essential with the program and agenda we have in our lives.

- Do you have a style icon?
-No, I don’t, but the general fashion picture does inspire me and I read some magazines. But I do have some friends who I think are very good dressers, but I think style is not just about resources. But I reserve the right to think that clothes are not the most important part of my role, it is a part of it, but not my main focus.

- Can the Crown Princess describe the 5 last year with 3 words?
- That is impossible for me.
She thinks and laughs and shakes her head.
- It is impossible for me to describe it in three words but I can say it has been full of contrasts. I can use the last week as an example. Last Saturday we went to Thailand to celebrate the King had been 60 years on the throne, Prince Sverre Magnus was with us and we had some fantastic days, we went directly to the airport where I changed from my gala dress and we took the first plane home to Norway and went directly to Marius school summer party on Wednesday, that was fantastic as well and on Thursday we were at the Norwegian Wood Concert in Frognerparken together wit Marius, also a great day.

- How do you view the debate about the future of the monarchy?
- It is a debate we can follow from the side and not take part in, it is not our decision to make. The Crown Prince has said he will be at the available for Norway if the people want him, and I will stand by his side.

the end, it is missing some small parts towrds the end but I ran out of energry

[Lakshmi]

It's a very interesting interview. Larzen thank you for translation.

[rominet09]

thank you so much, so interesting

[Avalon]

Thank you so much, Larzen, for the wonderful article you translated for us!
One of the reasons I like Mette-Marit so much is because she is so natural! I didn't sense a word of false in her.

[Smilla]

Thank you for translating the interview, Larzen. It must have taken you hours to complete it! I can only say that your work's appreciated.

[rominet09]

Thanks, very interesting ! What a job you had

[unlikeanygirl]

Thanks a bunch for a the transalation!!
Sometimes one needs a lucky break to show potential and she got it.

[ortino]

Thanks for the translation Larzen- the Norwegian Crown Prince couple are my favourite royals!

[Smilla]

Is Mette-Marit pregnant again? (Officially, I mean.) The German glossies are more or less going mad with all those pregnancies and said that MM was pregnant, too.

[monica]

To my personally I would like much that again was waiting for a baby, he would be wonderful

[norwegianne]

Originally Posted by Smilla

Is Mette-Marit pregnant again? (Officially, I mean.) The German glossies are more or less going mad with all those pregnancies and said that MM was pregnant, too.

No official press release, and until then, it is just speculations.

[monica]

Originally Posted by norwegianne

No official press release, and until then, it is just speculations.

then hopefully that those speculations are confirmed finally, serious wonderful

[Zonk]

Not that MM and I are personal friends...but I would think she would give it at least another year before becomes pregnant again. Sverre isn't even a year old! I am sure both she and Haakon are still getting used to the new addition in their little family. Three little ones under the age of 5...plus Marius...that's a lot even for a Princess.

[sm1939]

Originally Posted by Zonk

Not that MM and I are personal friends...but I would think she would give it at least another year before becomes pregnant again. Sverre isn't even a year old! I am sure both she and Haakon are still getting used to the new addition in their little family. Three little ones under the age of 5...plus Marius...that's a lot even for a Princess.

for some reason I always thought that Sverre was a pleasant suprise ! not a planned baby , dont know why I thought this .
but if he was planned gosh! thats hard work , but a lot of mom's do , do it with out having the help of a nanny , but I agree with you I would have given it a few more year before becoming pregnant again!