The Crown Princely Family Current Events and Discussion

[Curryong]

It seems to me that it is quite a burden on Haakon.  He has a wife who is ill, and a father who's now elderly and not up to working.. He has no back up.. Ingrid and Magnus are too young.

I agree. Old age isn?t a problem that gets better with time. And Queen Sonja is no spring chicken either. If the King dies in the next year or two (which is perfectly possible) there will be the new King Haakon, his wife who has a serious health condition and can?t travel abroad or sometimes perform engagements in Norway, and IA, who will be in the tertiary part of her education. And Magnus will be a schoolboy. The back up is likely to be the very elderly Sonja.

Of all the European monarchies the Norwegian and the Spanish are the ones who will be in a bit of a fix if anything happens to the two principals in the next few years, though I suppose the constitution could be relaxed in Spain to allow Infanta Elena to perform engagements for a while.

The Norwegians haven?t even got that. In fact until these young heirs marry and the consorts join the team it?s likely to be a problem in both countries, but especially in Norway, because MM is not well and isn?t likely to be a very active Queen.

However informal a monarchy is, I do think that four healthy and active people are needed for engagements throughout the year.

[TudorQueen]

I think it does very much depend on the country.

The Netherlands currently has 2 (if we aren't counting Sonja then we shouldnt count Beatrix either). They are doing just fine.

Spain has 2. They are doing just fine.

Denmark is one better with three full time royals (with Joachim and Marie now in France mainly). If Margrethe passes in next few years (since we seem to think all the elderly royals are on deaths door) that would leave Fred and Mary in the same spot as the others. Same with Luxembourg. With MT basically stepped away Henri has his heir and heir's wife, his other kids live outside the country and have their own jobs.

Really only the Swedish come close to the British in number of working royals. And even then Carl Philip and Madeleine were encouraged to jobs and not simply royal duties.


If Harald dies in the next few years Sverre Magnus is going to be too young to help anyways. Mette Marit and Sonja can both aid Haakon on the home front. And he wouldn't be the only royal to travel alone. Or he could do as Henri has done in Luxembourg, and take his daughter with him on trips.

The reality is there is no need for there to be any full time working royal beyond the monarch, the heir and spouses if there are any.

[Curryong]

Who isn?t counting Sonja? And age and whether a monarch decides to abdicate or go on to the end does play its part too. Beatrix abdicated at the top of her game and is still there if needed. JC of Spain abdicated because of scandals but he also had serious health issues. I do agree that in normal circumstances four with no spares is fine. It?s the natural ageing and other occurrences that should be planned for, however.

The Queen of the UK is like energiser bunny but Harald of Norway isn?t, through no will of his own. It?s just a fact of life that people in their 80s and 90s usually aren?t as healthy, fit and active as people in their 60s and their 40s.

That isn?t usually a problem except when it is a very small RF. And as we?ve seen with Marit Marie  bad health can also strike the middle aged. The Spanish royal couple quarantined because of Covid last year. What if, God forbid, Felipe went to hospital and died? Letizia and Sofia would have carried on in a regency, but it would have been a stretch.

Camilla and Charles may well be in their mid to late 70s when Charles is King. Camilla is already regarded as not as fit and healthy as her spouse. If in ten years the four in the BRF just rests on the King, Queen and Will and Kate as POWs, and there is still a Commonwealth, most of what is now done every year by a dozen people including the elderly cousins will just be undoable.

[Amabel2]

I agree that while for financial and other reasons, nowadays a smaller royal family is desirable and I support Charles cutting back in the UK, but OTOH a very small family like the Norwegian or Spanish one.. has its own problems. I think its a lot of responsibility and strain for one person to carry virtually all the duties, which may well be the case for Haakon. 

[TudorQueen]

Who isn?t counting Sonja? And age and whether a monarch decides to abdicate or go on to the end does play its part too. Beatrix abdicated at the top of her game and is still there if needed. JC of Spain abdicated because of scandals but he also had serious health issues. I do agree that in normal circumstances four with no spares is fine. It?s the natural ageing and other occurrences that should be planned for, however.

The Queen of the UK is like energiser bunny but Harald of Norway isn?t, through no will of his own. It?s just a fact of life that people in their 80s and 90s usually aren?t as healthy, fit and active as people in their 60s and their 40s.

That isn?t usually a problem except when it is a very small RF. And as we?ve seen with Marit Marie  bad health can also strike the middle aged. The Spanish royal couple quarantined because of Covid last year. What if, God forbid, Felipe went to hospital and died? Letizia and Sofia would have carried on in a regency, but it would have been a stretch.

Camilla and Charles may well be in their mid to late 70s when Charles is King. Camilla is already regarded as not as fit and healthy as her spouse. If in ten years the four in the BRF just rests on the King, Queen and Will and Kate as POWs, and there is still a Commonwealth, most of what is now done every year by a dozen people including the elderly cousins will just be undoable.

You didn't.

You said if Harald was to die in the next year or two it left Haakon, MM and their two young kids.  That was the comment I was replying to.

If Harald were to die tomorrow they would be in the same position they were in back in 1991. A king, his wife with two minor children and one supporting royal. Back in 1991 it was Astrid, right now it is Sonja. In both cases there was also a royal family member who was a fully private citizen who they could have had to consider drawing back into the royal folds if needed. Martha would be a lot easier to do then Ragnild would have been considering simple logistics of where Harald's sister was and how long she had been gone from the royal fold (other then family events).

I am not arguing that it's not a good idea Sverre does some royal duties. But his first priority should be his own career and life. This expecting the spares to put their life on the back burner to be a shadow to their sibling is not reasonable. And in cases we have seen breeds resentment.

The reality is when his sister marries, Sverre is not going to be needed as a full royal. And its not fair to think of him as a place holder until then.

[Amabel2]

Sorry are you saying they could call On Martha Louise? 

[Curryong]

I think I?ve been misunderstood!!

What I said in the first para of the original post was

?I agree.Old age isn?t a problem that gets better with time. And Queen Sonja is no spring chicken either. If the King dies in the next year or two (which is perfectly possible) there will be the new King Haakon, his wife who has a serious health condition and can?t travel abroad or sometimes perform engagements in Norway, and IA, who will be in the tertiary part of her education. And Magnus will be a schoolboy. The back up is likely to be the very elderly Sonja.?  End Quote.

I wasn?t leaving Sonja out. Simply calculated in that she is 84 now, and good health in one?s later 80s  (should the King pass in the next two to three years) just simply can?t be guaranteed. I referred to her as a back up simply because of that. My hope is of course that she is like Queen Elizabeth and goes on into her mid 90?s!  :flower3:

As for M-L I really can?t see her coming back to help out with royal duties. She hasn?t performed any for years, regards herself as a private citizen, and is seen as such by the family, and I read elsewhere today that she is starting some sort of production company with a friend.

[Amabel2]

I certainly think that Martha L isn't suitable for the job, and wouldn't want it.. and Sonya is elderly.

[Blue Clover]

I am sure they considered what is best for Magnus in terms of his future. He will have the contacts and support to be successful in any field he chooses.

[PrincessOfPeace]

August 18. Crown Prince Haakon visited Stovner District in Oslo.

Kronprins Haakon p? Stovner-bes?k ? Siste nytt ? NRK

[PrincessOfPeace]

Princess Ingrid Alexandra got tested positive for COVID 19 and is isolated at home at Skaugum. 

The rest of the Crown Prince family has also been tested and came out negative. Engagements of the Crown Princes are postponed.

https://twitter.com/CoutureRoyals/status/1429510845839597573?s=20

[TLLK]

Thank you.  I had read that CP Mette Marit was not going to participate in an event related to their anniversary.  The reason given was that it was health related.but at least it isn't  COVID.

Update-CP Haakon will also be postponing his upcoming events too.

Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway tests positive for COVID ? Royal Central

Norway?s Princess Ingrid Alexandra has tested positive for COVID-19.

Ingrid Alexandra, 17, is isolating at her family?s home ? the Skaugum Estate.

Her parents, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and her younger brother, Prince Sverre Magnus were also tested, but as of now, they do not have the virus.

As a result of their exposure to the virus, the Crown Prince Couple will postpone the 20th anniversary celebrations of the Crown Prince Couple?s Foundation that was due to take place on Wednesday at the family?s home. Crown Prince Haakon will also no longer participate in the debarking of the Royal Yacht ?Norge? on Monday.

In addition, the Crown Prince will also postpone his visit to the UngInvest in Modum, also due to take place Monday.

The Princess is the first member of the Norwegian Royal Family to contract the virus.

Princess Ingrid Alexandra is second in line to the Norwegian throne as the granddaughter of King Harald and Queen Sonja. She will one day succeed her father, Haakon, to the Norwegian throne. She will be Norway?s second queen regnant.

[Curryong]

29 coronasmittet ved prinsesse Ingrid Alexandras skole | ABC Nyheter

29 positive cases of Covid found at Princess Ingrid-Alexandra?s school. Poor kids and others. I hope no-one suffers any longterm side effects from this rotten virus.

[TLLK]

@Curryong-I wouldn't be surprised if there will be a rise in cases around the globe as students begin to return to school in the coming weeks.

[Macrobug67]

Increase in COVID, increase in normal return to school bugs, increase in the little kid illnesses like RSV, big surge in flu. 

It?s going to be an really bad fall and winter. 

Fingers crossed for IA

[TLLK]

For this very reason I am going to continue to limit my substitute teaching to just one school for the foreseeable future.
Hope that Ingrid Alexandra, her classmates and the school faculty/staff will be all right.

[sara8150]

Palace confirms that Princess has tested positive for COVID-19 | HELLO!

[TLLK]

CP Haakon hears about efforts to end child marriage which is a cause that the NL's Princess Mabel is also involved with.

Crown Prince Haakon hears of work to stamp out child marriage ? Royal Central

Crown Prince Haakon of Norway has met with Plan Norway and UNICEF Norway at the Royal Palace in Oslo. Crown Prince Haakon is the protector of this year?s Norwegian TV charity campaign which aims to collect funds to Plan?s work to fight child marriage in five countries.

The representatives of Plan Norway informed the Crown Prince about the specific projects in the period up to 24 October and how they plan to use the funds raised. Under the action name ?Children, not brides?, Plan Norway wants to reach three million people to end child marriages where they know it can make a difference in Bangladesh, Nepal, Malawi, Mali and Niger. Every three seconds, a girl gets married. That amounts to 12 million girls in one year. Child marriage slows down development and perpetuates poverty. Where girls are married off as children and lose the opportunity to go to school, the risk of being exposed to violence and abuse increases.

The United Nations Children?s Fund, UNICEF, works to help children around the world, and the rights of all children in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Since 2009, UNICEF Norway has run the program ?You can be the one?. During the meeting, the representatives told the Crown Prince about this work. Many children in Norway also find it difficult, and often it takes no more than one safe adult to create a positive change in a child?s life. Hence the name ?You can be the One?. The goal of the program is to inspire adults to act on their own initiative and become the person who makes a change in a child?s life.

UNICEF also believes that the climate crisis is a child rights crisis. Another important topic for the meeting with Crown Prince Haakon was how climate changes children?s fundamental rights, such as the right to life, development, good health, education and a good standard of living.

[TLLK]

CP Haakon confirms that Princess Ingrid Alexandra has recovered from COVID and has returned to school. (Side note-Almost twenty years of typing the CP's name and I still have to double check my spelling every time.)  :girlblush:

Princess Ingrid Alexandra recovers from Covid-19 and heads back to school ? Royal Central

Princess Ingrid Alexandra is back at school again, after being recovering from coronavirus. The news was confirmed by her father, Crown Prince Haakon, to the Norwegian TV-channel NRK. NRK asked His Royal Highness during an event at the Norwegian National Archive on September 1st 2021 with the Crown Prince replying: ?Princess Ingrid is well and back at school again. She felt it a little, but she has gotten well again and is up and running again. Nevertheless, this was a reminder to us that the virus situation is not quite over yet?.

[PrincessOfPeace]

September 1. Crown Prince Haakon visited the National Archives of Norway in Oslo.

Digitaliserte brev fra 1233 - Det norske kongehus

[PrincessOfPeace]

This week, Crown Prince Haakon has visited the Norwegian forces in Finnmark patrolling and guarding the border with Russia.

https://twitter.com/OAanmoen/status/1435630687571386368?s=20

[PrincessOfPeace]

Crown Prince Haakon attended the Dovre Railway Line Centenary at Hjerkinn today.

Kronprinsen bes?kte Dovrebanen. N? er det 100 ?r siden ?pningen

[TudorQueen]

A photo of the CP families of both Norway and Sweden together.

Kongehuset - Kronprinsparet og Prinsesse Ingrid Alexandra tilbrakte noen flotte sensommerdager p? Gotland i ?stersj?en sist helg, sammen med den

I love how close the couples and their kids are. It feels like just a natural photo you can almost forget they are royal.

[Nightowl]

What a fabulous picture of the 2 royal families together out walking.......they look great, shorts, sneakers, sweaters, just like any other family out enjoying the day walking.

[PrincessOfPeace]

Crown Prince Haakon attended the 50th anniversary of the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Bodo today.

Kronprinsen skal feire i Bod? ? NRK Nordland