Editorial | Norwegians hate it when the princess makes money

OFthe royal house of the slave could have been considered one of the most harmless courts in the world. However, now our own country’s Hovi has started to annoy Norwegians – most recently, the way Princess Märtha Louise was spending money.

Märtha Louise and her husband Durek Verrett, who is also called Samaan, sold the exclusive rights to their wedding to the celebrity magazine Hello Magazine and Netflix. In connection with the case, it was pointed out that Märtha Louise, who was educated with taxpayers’ money, has given up her court-related representation duties.

The early autumn has been rough for the Norwegian royal family. In August, Crown Princess Mette Marit’s eldest son Marius Borg Høiby was arrested in Oslo on suspicion of assaulting his girlfriend while under the influence of drugs.

The irritation can be seen as a decline in the popularity of the monarchy. of the Norwegian public broadcasting company NRK in measurement almost 70 percent were of the opinion that the king should take away the title of princess from Märtha Louise, even if the removal of the title would not have any meaning in itself. At the same time, support for the monarchy is at an all-time low.

MThe popularity of onarchy has long been exceptionally strong in Norway, Sweden and Denmark as well. Now in Norway we can see a free fall.

When King Harald’s 80th birthday was celebrated in 2017, 81 percent of Norwegians supported the monarchy. Last spring, 73 percent of Norwegians supported the monarchy. Now the number is only 62 percent.

Supporters of the monarchy are conservative when it comes to royal publicity, and they don’t like it if a respected institution is taken advantage of. Especially the attempts to make money from the royal position raise opposition to the whole form of government, i.e. the kingdom. For example, Harry and Meghan, who left the British court, and now Märtha Louise in Norway, have not only commercialized but also popularized royalty. It has political implications.

In Norway, the kingdom as a form of government is still clearly more popular than the republic, but the change in positions can be fast. If republicanism really reared its head in Norway, it would also significantly affect Sweden and Denmark, where Queen Margaree retired at the beginning of the year.

The editorials are HS’s positions on a current topic. The articles are prepared by HS’s editorial department, and they reflect the journal principle line.