So it is Sonja, and yet I would bet anything Ingrid either feels the same way or would do very shortly. (If she didn't, wouldn't Sonja have have said "now Ingrid isn't bothered by it"...?)
Are they going to make one of these programs for SM like they did for Märtha Louise, or is he going to remain the invisible 'ordinary' child in emergency reserve?
Yes, it's Sonja who is annoyed by it on Ingrid's behalf.
But I also think that this question was asked in the first place because Sonja has expressed sentiments like these in the past, where it concerned herself. Like Ingrid she was always a very pretty Princess/ (later Queen), but she didn't want to be reduced to her looks and fashion.
That's one of the reasons why she joined the military as Crown Princess and later on, as Queen, requested that her program on State Visits go beyond the traditional "lady's program" of fashion shows and art. She insisted that she, as a woman, could also attend economic events etc. And while she was/ is a consort, not a Queen regnant like Ingrid Alexandra will be, it's the sort of thing that is very normal for consorts today to attend.
So I would say that the interviewer knew very well who he was asking this question and the response he was going to get. Women's equality is one of Sonja's favourite causes, and of course she would like her own granddaughter to be seen as an intelligent and capable future Queen, not just a pretty Princess with nice clothes.
Here is the rest of the part of the interview, which concerned Princess Ingrid Alexandra:
Interviewer: I asked the King if she, as hereditary Princess, is committed to a military education. It will not be up to me, he replied. So I ask those who may have a say: does she have to go through it?
CP Haakon: No, she's not obliged to. Other than the first-time service that is. You have a duty if the Armed Forces call you in. (I believe he means conscription, though I don't know how exactly that works in Norway.) Beyond that, she does not really have to. We will spend some time figuring it out - how we are going to deal with it, and how she herself wants it.
Interviewer: Will there be more representation assignments?
King Harald: Maybe, but the most important thing for her is that she has a year left in high school. And then she has to get further education. For some years to come, education will probably be most important.
Interviewer: Can the King say something about what he and his family have emphasized - about protecting her in the situation she is in?
King Harald: I think her parents have tried to, and have succeeded. You in the press have also been understanding, and left her alone as much as possible. She's had a... I would call it a private life. Now she is coming of age, we hope that she is still allowed to be, in the usual way.
CP Mette-Marit: I think we have probably been very concerned that she should be allowed to be - not so much with us at work, especially in adolescence. The children were more with us before, but we have shielded the children in the phase they have been in. We think it has been important for them.
CP Haakon: Their focus has been on school and adolescent life. We have limited official appearances quite a bit.
Interviewer: Will there gradually be more appearances after her 18th birthday, is it a turning point?
CP Haakon: No, not in itself, really. She is still in the process of getting her education - which she will be for a number of years to come. Furthermore, she also gets to partake in the decision of when she wants to start doing a little more officially. But she will be 18 years old, and it will be nice to celebrate it. She will visit Parliament and the government. Those things naturally follow. It is a good start.
Thank you very much for the transcription, Princess_Eleanor!
I would take Princess Ingrid Alexandra's fondness of discussing with her parents at the dinner table "until they get bored" as a mark of the closeness and trust in their relationship. As the monarchy will be best served if they closely cooperate for decades to come, that is a positive sign.
You're welcome ?
I agree that Ingrid Alexandra seems very close to her parents. And a teenager wanting to talk to their parents a lot - not bad
