Recent royal scandals have sparked a call for a referendum to decide whether Norway should abolish its monarchy and become a republic instead. At the same time, a majority in Parliament wants to let the country’s young princess be able to step in as regent if the need arises, while a police investigation into her step-brother’s violence and drug use expands.
It continues to be a difficult year for the usually popular royal family. King Harald V, age 87, has been seriously ill but refuses to abdicate, viewing his post as a life-long obligation. His son, Crown Prince Haakon, has been taking over more and more of his father’s royal duties but has no back-up himself.
Haakon’s daughter, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, is now 20 and of legal age to take over as regent and thus take on more royal responsibilities. Norway’s constitution, however, only allows one heir to the throne to be regent. If both the king and the crown prince fall ill or are otherwise indisposed, a plenum within the government would take over.
That may be about to change. For the first time since 1905, Norway has two heirs to the throne who are both of legal age. Members of Parliament from six different political parties are proposing to change the constitution to also include the second heir to the throne (Ingrid Alexandra) as regent.
The idea is basically that two regents are better than one. “It would give Ingrid Alexandra an opportunity to gain more experience and knowledge about her future role,” royal commentator Trond Norén Isaksen told state broadcaster NRK on Monday, “and it will ease the pressure on the crown prince” if the elderly King Harald falls ill again. It would also make it easier for Haakon to travel abroad.
Ingrid Alexandra just extended her current military service, but would be available to assume regent duties. “I absolutely think that Ingrid Alexandra is ready to take on the tasks if needed,” Isaksen said. “She is expected to begin higher education, but most students also have a job on the side.”
The anti-royalty Reds Party, meanwhile, wants to abolish the monarchy altogether and has proposed such in its party program for the upcoming parliamentary period that begins this week. NRK reported that the Reds thinks a referendum should be held, after recent polls have shown a sharp drop in public support for the monarchy after a series of scandals over the past few months. Haakon’s sister Princess Martha Louise has been accused of “selling” her recent wedding to an American shaman for commercial gain, and remains in conflict with her brother and father over her alleged commercial exploitation of her title.
Police have also expanded their investigation into drug use and violent attacks carried out by the son of Haakon’s wife, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, from a previous relationship. Newspaper Aftenposten reports that police seized the telephone of 27-year-old Marius Borg Høiby when he was arrested again in September, and were searching for more. The goal is to find more evidence of Høiby’s alleged violence and threats against not only his most recent girlfriend but two more plus a fourth person.
“We are investigating the case with high priority,” prosecutor Andreas Kruszewsik told Aftenposten on Monday. Høiby still hasn’t formally claimed himself innocent or guilty of the mounting charges against him, but did apologize publicly for attacking his most recent girlfriend and trashing her apartment in Oslo on August 4 while under the influence of alcohol and cocaine.
Aftenposten also has reported that Høiby was slow to replace items he’d demolished or pay other compensation to the young woman, who’d been renting the apartment and faced losing her deposit equal to three months of rental payments to cover the costs of repairs. Høiby had promised to cover the costs but hadn’t followed through as of last week.
His victim’s lawyer, Mette Yvonne Larsen, confirmed that she finally resorted to contacting the Royal Palace in an effort to get him to pay up. The next day she finally heard from Høiby’s defense attorney, Øyvind Bratlien, who later told Aftenposten that neither he nor Høiby had received documentation of the damage claims. They have now, and promised again to pay up.
King Harald, Queen Sonja, palace officials and Crown Princess Mette-Marit continue to refuse to comment on the charges against her son.
NewsinEnglish.no/Nina Berglund
