The scandals damaging Norway’s royal reputation

As far as royal families go, the Norwegian monarchy and its members often fly under the radar.
They are not as well-known in Australia, America or even in the UK as the British royals are.
But don’t let their relatively low profile fool you into thinking they are any less interesting.
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Over the past fortnight, the Norwegian royals have found themselves at the centre of headlines they’d rather avoid, thanks to two key players.
One is the stepson of Norway’s crown prince, the other his sister.
The latest controversies are not the first to hit the family. Indeed, the Norwegian monarchy has weathered scandal in the past.
But the issues plaguing the family now have the potential to do irreversible damage to the monarchy’s reputation.
The House of Glücksburg has ruled Norway since 1905 and its current monarch is King Harald V.
The Norwegian monarchy dates back more than 1000 years. If the ‘Glücksborg’ name sounds familiar, that’s because the family has ruled Denmark’s royal family for 150 years.
The two countries were merged under a single monarch in 1380 but Norway was given a subordinate role in the union. That union was dissolved in 1814 but soon after Norway entered into another with Sweden – this time as an independent nation, but with a common king.
In 1905 the union of Norway and Sweden ended, and Norway chose its own monarch, King Haakon VII.
The now 87-year-old King Harald V came to the throne in 1991, making him one of Europe’s longest reigning monarchs.
In recent years he has suffered ill-health and his son and heir, Crown Prince Haakon has taken on more official duties.
In April, the Royal House of Norway announced King Harald would scale back his participation in official duties “out of consideration for his age”.
During a holiday to Malaysia in February, the king caught an infection and was admitted to hospital. He was later fitted with a pacemaker to compensate for a low heartrate.
Despite his age and health, the king is refusing to abdicate telling reporters in January he had taken an oath that “lasts for life”.
“It’s that simple for me,” King Harald said. “We’re at it until the bitter end.”
A poll by Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) found that 64 per cent of the population did not want him to abdicate in favour of his son, Haakon, while 72 per cent of Norwegians remained supportive of the monarchy.
But that high-level of support is at major risk now, a prominent royal historian believes.
On Sunday August 4, a member of the royal family was charged with a crime for the first time.
Marius Borg Høiby, 27, is accused of causing bodily harm and damaging property during an alleged attack on his girlfriend inside her Oslo apartment.
He admitted to the allegations on Thursday, issuing a statement via NRK in which he apologised to the woman involved and said he was under the influence of “alcohol and cocaine”.
Høiby said he suffers from “several mental disorders” and continues to have “challenges”.
Significantly, he apologised to the royal family.
“I know that my actions have greatly affected you”, Høiby said, adding he took “full responsibility” for what had happened.
Høiby is the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit from a previous relationship before she married Crown Prince Haakon in 2001.
He was officially recognised as a member of the royal family by King Harald before the wedding but never received a royal title.
Over the years Høiby has attended many family and official events with the Norwegian royals.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Crown Prince Haakon have two other children, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 20, and Prince Sverre Magnus, 18.
But in 2017, Høiby stepped back from public life because he wanted privacy, and his portrait and biography were removed from the palace website.
He is still listed on the monarchy’s website, however, as an official member of the royal family and is pictured in a group photo from the King’s Silver Jubilee in June 2016.
Høiby spent 30 hours in police custody after he was arrested close to the Crown Prince family’s official residence Skaugum Castle following the incident.
Crime scene photos published on Tuesday appear to show a knife sticking out of a wall and a chandelier lying on the floor surrounded by broken glass.
Sources also told local media police were in possession of an audio tape of Høiby allegedly telling the victim he would set fire to her clothes if she did not do what he wanted.
The alleged assault forced Crown Princess Mette-Marit to delay her travels to the Olympic Games in Paris by several days, leaving Crown Prince Haakon to attend several events on his own.
Soon after his arrival, Haakon was questioned by Norwegian media telling them it was a “serious matter” and declining to say anything else.
Historian and author of seven books on the Norwegian royal family Trond Norén Isaksen said Høiby’s arrest was a blow to the royal family’s reputation.
“Noise and circuses weaken the impression the Norwegian people have of the royal house,” Isaksen told Norwegian outlet Se og Hør last week.
“There has been a marked decrease in the assignments of the royal family outside the royal estates, which makes them less visible. Then it is unfortunate that the void is filled with noise and controversy.
“Everyone should be presumed innocent until proven guilty, but an accusation is obviously not good for the reputation.”
Høiby’s arrest and admission comes just weeks before another controversial event in the family: the wedding of Princess Märtha Louise and Shaman Durek Verrett.
Princess Märtha Louise will marry fiancé Shaman Durek Verrett on August 31.
It’ll be the first royal wedding in Norway in 22 years, since that of Crown Prince Haakon and Mette-Marit.
But senior royals across Europe are expected to avoid the nuptials.
In November 2022, Märtha Louise confirmed she would no longer represent her father or the royal household following anger over the use of her ‘princess’ title among her commercial endeavours.
Since then, there have been growing calls for Märtha Louise to lose her ‘princess’ title altogether after breaking the agreement with the king and the royal household multiple times.
Isaksen said: ”As a member of the royal family, one is expected to behave in a way that does not embarrass the royal family. You must have a spotless character and be someone people can look up to.”
Norwegian media has accused Märtha Louise and Verrett of using her royal title for commercial gain along with promoting alternative health care methods.
American-born Verrett describes himself as a shaman and a healer on his website.
The couple’s wedding has been reported as being a three-day celebration beginning on August 29.
There has been speculation some of the guests could include Hollywood royalty, with both Princess Märtha Louise and Verrett having a close relationship with actress Gwyneth Paltrow.
Responding to a comment from a follower about Princess Märtha acting “more like a celebrity than a royal”, Isaksen said on Instagram: “It is indeed my impression that the foreign royal houses are not too keen on being part of this circus, as it has become commonly known”.
Isaksen has been critical of Märtha Louise’s continued use of her princess title which he says has damaged the king’s reputation.
“When the agreement is not respected, it is time to strike Märtha Louise’s princess title before King Harald’s life’s work takes further damage,” Isaksen wrote on Aftenposten.
He points to a decline in support for the Norwegian monarchy as being connected to Märtha Louise’s actions.
In 2017, support for the monarchy was at 81 per cent and in 2022 it was sitting at 78 per cent. In 2024, support fell to 73 per cent.
When Crown Prince Haakon succeeds the Norwegian throne, his wife Mette-Marit will become Queen.
While she is now embraced by Norwegians following a dedicated royal career championing humanitarian causes and the arts, it wasn’t always so.
Before the wedding in 2001, Mette-Marit Tjessem Hoiby was known for being a single mother with a colourful past.
She met her Crown Prince at rock festival and before they married there was much debate over whether a commoner should be allowed to marry into the royal household.
That’s despite King Harald having married a commoner too, Sonja Haraldsen, now Queen Sonja, when he was crown prince. They married in 1968 and needed special permission from his father the king to do so along with the approval from the government.
Queen Sonja was scandal-free, however, unlike Mette-Marit.
Much was made about her past relationships including her former boyfriend, Høiby’s father, who had been sentenced to prison for assault and possession of cocaine.
Days before the wedding, Mette-Marit apologised for her rebellious days in an emotional press conference.
“My youth rebellion was much stronger than many others,” Mette-Marit said, the BBC reported at the rime.
“That resulted in me living quite a wild life.”
Addressing reports about attending parties where drugs were present she said: “We overstepped the limits. It was a costly experience for me, that I took a long time to get over.
“I would like to take this opportunity to say that I condemn drugs,” Mette-Marit said, but did not say whether she had taken them herself.
“I cannot make these choices again, even though I would wish I could.”
The wedding was attended by royalty across Europe including then-Prince Charles of Britain, Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II, Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf, Prince Albert of Monaco and then-Crown Prince Felipe of Spain.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit has also battled ill health over the years that has forced her to cancel or postpone many official engagements.
She was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic, incurable disease, six years ago.
The symptoms include chronic coughing, shortness of breath and severe oxygen deficiency as well as reduced performance.
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