IWhat should have been the perfect Instagram wedding photo turned into something much more embarrassing. In the picturesque village of Geiranger, the jewel of Norway's fjords and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Princess Märtha Louise scurried to a sheet-covered tent to thwart rival photographers. The rights to the photos from her wedding to American shaman Durek Verret, which took place last weekend, had been sold exclusively. Hello! Magazine.
Netflix was likely in attendance, as it holds the film rights to the unlikely love story between the princess and the shaman, a newlywed couple notorious for their pseudoscientific quackery, royal profiteering and, as in Verret's case, their relentless promotion. The belief that he is a hybrid reptile The Andromedan gods, who can purify the spiritual imprints on the vaginas of lustful women, proved a perfect fit for Tiger King's Rebecca Chaiklin. Director, that remains to be seen.
Märtha Louise, 52, is fourth in line to the Norwegian throne. Angel Academywhere students paid to learn clairvoyance, to her many questionable adventures with 49-year-old Verret. She always used her royal title Even though it is for personal gain Numerous warnings.
In keeping with her wedding theme, Clothes from Martha's own fashion collection Pop-up shops were selling them to guests. The bride's father, King Harald V, refused to take part in any commercial activity and waited patiently in his car with other royals until the photographers had finished taking their pictures. Who knows what he was thinking?
Feudal titles may be as unpalatable to most Norwegians as capitalist greed. What we saw at this wedding was what happens when feudal privilege and market capitalism are mixed. And it goes straight to the heart of a uniquely Norwegian paradox: How can this happen in a country where the aristocracy seems so egalitarian? Abolished in 1821Do you still support the monarchy? Isn't its very existence an affront to everything Norwegian society stands for?
I think the reason why Norway still has a royal family has to do with history and how the Norwegian royal family has played a role. When the country elected the young Prince of Glücksburg as king, Haakon VII in 1905It was a post-colonial act of self-determination against Sweden and Denmark in 1840. Norwegians have come to admire King Haakon VII's patriotism and determined resistance to the German occupying forces during World War II.
His successor, Olav V, may have been an authoritarian father, Personally content with Nazi Germany, But he was the “people's king” who boldly rode a tram during the 1973 oil crisis. His noble yet humble appearance was a glorious image that defined royalty for generations. You'll never see the King of Norway wearing a crown, but you'll definitely see him in ski boots.
If his two pioneers embodied the patriotism and down-to-earth humility that foreigners often associate with Norway, King Harald He added a modern honesty to his reign. His reign was marked by tolerance of life's hardships and an acceptance of differences.
However, 2024 has turned out to be a terrible year for the royal family. Marius Borg HoibyCrown Prince Haakon's son-in-law has been arrested and charged with assault and criminal damage. Assaulting his girlfriend He then vandalised her apartment, which he admitted to doing while high on alcohol and cocaine. Although Hoiby does not carry out official royal duties, he was brought up in the royal family and is a full member of it.
His mother, the Crown Princess, Mette Maritwas reportedly in contact She met with the victim immediately after the incident, and while we don't yet know why, if she thinks that's the smart thing to do, she may not understand the hidden power asymmetries.
Two other ex-lovers Accused Hoiby Allegations of physical and mental abuse (they did not respond to questions about the allegations).
I think this crisis in the royal family reveals more about the monarchy as an institution and its place in modern Norway. Inherited privileges run counter to ordinary citizens' sense of justice. Less obvious are the inequities built into the system of royal succession: the heir to the throne, Haakon, is Martha Louise's younger brother, and other relatives are in line to succeed him. Norway is not the only country where succession conundrums are causing problems for royals unlikely to inherit the throne. Look at the UK. It is not without reason that Prince Harry named his autobiography “Spare”.
Märtha Louise had the misfortune of being the firstborn at a time when succession to the Norwegian throne was patrilineal. There are perhaps few places where royals can feel more lonely and overlooked than in an empty castle. The reserves like Harry and Märtha Louise, or those with no rights or real role like Marius Höby, are trapped in a 24/7 royal reality extravaganza with no way out.
A direct successor appears to be relatively competent, but then an outsider embroils the organization in scandal and exposes serious internal tensions, ultimately undermining public trust in the organization.
A constitutional monarchy is only a perception of the people. It only works if the people have faith in it. What is left of a monarchy when royals beat their lovers, undermine a health care system based on scientific research and methods, and use feudal titles to line their own pockets?
Approval for the Norwegian monarchy has been steadily declining since 2017, according to a recent survey. Last month, four in 10 people took a more negative view Of the institution.
Shaman Verret Norwegians are racist Some have compared him to Rasputin, the influential Russian mystic and faith healer at the Russian court a century ago who may have served as a warning to the Norwegian monarchy: His reputation is said to have discredited the rule of the Russian Empire and prompted its overthrow.
