As their royal family is engulfed in its biggest ever crisis,
Norway’s king and queen have put country above chaos and made the
trip to Italy to cheer on their Olympians.
King Harald, who will be 89 in just a few days’ time, and 88
year old Queen Sonja, headed to Italy for the Winter Games.
The Norwegian Royal Family is currently facing major crises.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit, wife of the heir to the throne, is
facing huge criticism over her ongoing relationship with convicted
sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. The revelations about their
friendship, which saw the Crown Princess stay in one of Epstein’s
homes, came as her son from a previous relationship, Marius Borg
Høiby, went on trial for a series of charges including several
counts.
However, King Harald and Queen Sonja are proudly representing
the family at the Milano Cortina 2026 games.
The Norwegian King and Queen skipped the Opening Ceremonies but
were loudly cheering on speed skater Ragne Wiklund on Saturday.
Wiklund won a silver medal for Norway in the 3000m women’s
speedskating event.
The royal couple looked happy to be at the winter games and were
even wearing the official Team Norway kit. Designed by Craft
Sportswear, both Harald and Sonja were wearing the white Team
Norway parka.
King Harald was also wearing the iconic Dale of Norway Team
Norway Cortina Sweater in red and white; the sweater is modeled on
the sweater that Team Norway wore to the 1956 Olympic Games in
Cortina d’Ampezzo. Dale of Norway is a Norwegian heritage knitwear
company that was founded in 1879.
Both King Harald and Queen Sonja are keen sports fans and the
Olympics mean a lot to both. Harald, while still Crown Prince of
Norway, competed in the summer games in 1964, 1968 and 1972 in
yachting.
King Harald and Queen Sonja continue to be popular public
figures in Norway. King Harald is widely seen as a good
constitutional monarch while his speeches and advice are noted for
their calm and wisdom and have been hailed, at times, as
instrumental in public life. Queen Sonja is also hugely popular and
the couple have enjoyed sky high approval ratings – at the time of
the silver jubilee, in 2016, over 90% of respondents in one poll
said they approved of the monarchy.
However, the last decade has brought change and while King
Harald and Queen Sonja remain popular and well supported, the next
generation of royalty is a different matter. The couple’s daughter,
Martha-Louise, has received criticism for attempting to use her
royal title in business dealings. Her marriage to self proclaimed
shaman, Durek Verrett, has also brought attack.
Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit are currently
under public scrutiny for their continuing support of Mette-Marit’s
son as he faces charges of rape, assault, drug-related offences,
and more. In recent days, the Norwegian press has discussed
their visit to a prison to see Borg Hoiby. And their daughter,
Princess Ingrid Alexandra, has also been criticised after speaking
out on her private Instagram account.
