Royals kept low profile during crisis
King Harald kept an intentionally low profile during the early days of last week's tidal wave crisis. The crown prince and his family, meanwhile, opted to go ahead with a holiday in Rio de Janeiro, but later decided they'd best return home.
King Harald didn't publicly address the catastrophe until it went into its fourth day. On Wednesday December 29, King Harald and Queen Sonja answered questions outside the Royal Palace in Oslo and later took part in a memorial service in the Oslo Cathedral.
He had been following the crisis all along, though, and sent condolence telegrams to the heads of state in the lands hit by the tsunamis as early as December 26. He also quickly realized he needed to rewrite and retape his annual New Year's Eve address to the nation, something he ended up doing twice before it aired Friday night.
Meanwhile, the King of Sweden took to the airwaves as early Wednesday and the Swedish royal family has played an active role in addressing the national grief for Swedish victims of the tsunamis. Some Norwegians feel their own royal family hasn't been visible enough during the crisis.
Information consultant Pål Heidaas of public relations concern Geelmuyden Kiese in Oslo said on national television this week that he thinks the Swedish royals have earned respect for keeping a higher profile and showing their sympathy. The Norwegian royals should have done the same, he said.
Other royal watchers disagree. "King Harald would never exploit the catastrophe to gain goodwill in any way," political scientist and author Carl-Erik Grimstad told newspaper
Aftenposten. "He's wise enough not to compete with the politicians."
He also may have learned from an earlier occasion, when he reportedly offended former Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland by visiting an area of Norway hit by a natural disaster before she had.
Meanwhile, Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, their infant daughter Ingrid Alexandra and Mette-Marit's son Marius all flew off on a planned holiday to Rio de Janeiro just after Christmas. Crown Prince Haakon soon realized that he should be back home during the crisis, which initially was feared to have left hundreds of Norwegians missing or dead.
"The crown couple has interrupted their private stay overseas, and will return to Norway in the course of the week," a palace spokesman said Thursday. "Beyond that, I don't feel it's natural to comment."
Princess Martha Louise and her family have been completely out of the picture since they posed for officials photographs during the Christmas weekend. They traveled back to New York, where they're currently living.
Aftenposten's reporter
Wenche Fuglehaug
Aftenposten English Web Desk
Nina Berglund
) Haakon and MM was in Brazil and before the weekend It was decided that they should return home a week earlier than planned to participate in memorials in Norway. (Im not clear on if they are home or on the way)
