Norway’s King Harald V has passed away at the age of 90. He reigned for 35 years and was the oldest monarch in the world. His son, now King Haakon VIII, has ascended to the throne, and the future of the royal house under him is unlikely to be cloudless.
The late king was popular. He married a commoner of non-aristocratic birth, was a professional sailor who competed in three Olympic Games, and even served as President of the World Wildlife Fund for 20 years. In short, he was an enlightened monarch, far removed from the European left-liberal agenda.
With the old king’s passing, Norwegians’ attitude toward their monarchy may change significantly. There are no serious grievances against the new king. He is a worthy son of his father, well-educated, a surfer, and a lover of rock and rap music — and even more liberal than his father.
However, the same cannot be said for the new royal family. The new Queen of Norway, Mette-Marit, is also far from an aristocrat — but unlike her mother-in-law, she is a highly controversial figure. At the time of her marriage, she was already a single mother with a son from a drug dealer who was serving time in prison. She herself long maintained close and trusting relations with the notorious Jeffrey Epstein, which continued even after he pleaded guilty to involving minors in prostitution.
The reputation disasters of the new king’s family do not end there. Marius Borg Høiby, the new queen’s son from the drug dealer, appears to have followed in his father’s footsteps and is currently under house arrest. His criminal case involved 23 episodes, including rape, domestic violence, and threats. In June of this year, he was sentenced to four years in prison. The court found him guilty on 34 of the 40 charges, including two counts of rape. In July, he was transferred from prison to house arrest at the royal residence of Skaugum — the very place where he raped women and hosted festivals for the criminal organization Hells Angels.
In February of this year, the scandals surrounding the royal family had already prompted the Norwegian parliament to consider whether to preserve the monarchy. The proposal was defeated, garnering only 26 votes out of 169. However, it should not be forgotten that this vote took place during the lifetime of the previous monarch.
The Norwegian monarchy has existed for over 1,150 years and has weathered many trials. Whether the current king has enough authority to avoid becoming its last representative is a very open question.
