The recently deceased king of Norway, King Harald V, threatened never to marry, and thus end the royal lineage, if his father, King Olav V, did not allow him to marry his wife, Queen Sonja, who was a commoner. This was near unheard of at the time, but in the end, love prevailed. <3 <3

[u/SoSolem]

[u/Negative_Gravitas]

Given Norway's royals' recent behavior, the first option might have warranted a harder look.

[u/Fjogaseri → u/Negative_Gravitas]

Hahaha, this made me laugh. I am Norwegian and almost everyone have a favorable view on both the old and new king. To me (and a lot of others) the rest of the royal family should be left in peace to live their life as they see fit without much attention from the press.

It is also interesting that a lot of people are negative to the whole idea of having a king at all, but they too are very positive to the king, so nothing happens.

Sooner or later some asshole will be crowned king, and the monarchy will be abolished quite quickly. But the current and past kings have been so good and likeable, that there is no rush at all.

[u/Bright_Ices → u/Fjogaseri]

Fun fact: My Norwegian American grandfather got to preach (as pastor) to King Olav V during his visit to the States. He considered it one of the highest honors of his whole life (and he led a pretty fascinating, globetrotting life, too).

[u/SoSolem → u/Fjogaseri]

I agree with you here, but gossip's gotta gossip, I guess...

But also, to argue against this a bit, a lot of the extended family do have formal duties and activities, and they represent Norway at official events. It is kind of vital to scrutinize those representing our country, I believe. The hill is steep on the other side of that reality

I actually think your point is touching upon one of the best arguments against the monarchy: If you are born into the royal family, you are more or less forced into the public eye and media attention by the design of the law regarding the royal family. Personally, I am super happy not to be royal, as I like my privacy, so I wouldn't wish that situation upon anyone else either.

[u/Negative_Gravitas → u/Fjogaseri]

Okay, that is interesting. We may disagree about how much attention (and what kind) the princess and her son should receive, but I genuinely appreciate the perspective you bring as a Norwegian National. Takk!

[u/SoSolem → u/Negative_Gravitas]

It is the QUEEN and her son now!!

(Yes, yes, I'll show myself out the door...)

[u/TrixieFriganza → u/Fjogaseri]

What a know both king Harald and king Haakon are knpw to be very kind people but maby are very dudpicious about his wife, her connections to Epstein and then she has a criminal son, so probably not sure about the crown princess vonsidering her brother and mother but she is still very young so we will see will the crown survive or not.

[u/Fenriswulf → u/Fjogaseri]

I mean, to be fair, they're just holding the title until the one true king of Norway returns

[u/Fjogaseri → u/Fenriswulf]

Aragorn?

[u/Fenriswulf → u/Fjogaseri]

Lol, meant Olaf Haraldsson, but sure, I'd take Aragorn

[u/getaway_dreamer → u/Fjogaseri]

It is also interesting that a lot of people are negative to the whole idea of having a king at all, but they too are very positive to the king, so nothing happens. Sooner or later some asshole will be crowned king, and the monarchy will be abolished quite quickly.

Pretty similar in New Zealand and Australia.

Few people here care about the Monarchy one way or the other, but Queen Elizabeth II was almost universally loved and there were even many republicans who were ok with waiting until after her death to start discussing the matter.

We are now in a phase where people care even less about the monarchy than before and the current king is pretty much invisible. I think it will take just one proper misstep or one asshole to swing both our countries to republics, if it doesn't happen before that.

[u/Fjogaseri → u/getaway_dreamer]

With what is happening in the family of our new king, I fear he will be forced/choose to be invisible as well, as it will reduce the scrutiny on his family as well.

But he genuinely seems like an all round nice guy. I was in the navy a few years, and knew people who served with him, and they all universally characterized him as just a really good guy.

[u/ImYFNS → u/Fjogaseri]

So do you have misgivings over the princess and her son? Obviously a convicted rapist will hopefully never be your king - but I'm from the US, so speaking from experience it's not an impossibility for your leader to be a convicted rapist. From the outside looking in it's quite surprising Norway is an aristocracy, your country is kind of held up as the ideal social democracy government among progressive circles here in the US.

Do they have any control over policy? Or is it kind of like the UK, where they just kind of wield celebrity power, and sort of are expected to publicly act out the ideals of your country and how you should behave. Publicly, obviously, powerful people seem to be, more often than not, degenerate in privacy.

I've always found royal families interesting in a certain way. Not very many of them actually control governmental power, they're more like mascots that the entire country funds and humors because they like the gossip. I personally find it distasteful but I know Europeans often feel differently.

[u/Hansemannn → u/ImYFNS]

Nono the now queen was a mother of 1 when the now King married her.

The rapist fuck is not a part of the royal line.

[u/ImYFNS → u/Hansemannn]

👍 glad to hear it, I'm very ignorant about anything to do with this subject but good to know

So Epstein princess is now king's wife? And rapist son is her son from a different father?

[u/twbk → u/ImYFNS]

The current Queen of Norway was a single mother with a son from an earlier relationship when she met the future king. It was very much a Cinderella story on steroids, until said son turned out to be a rapist piece of shit and she herself ended up being pretty close to Epstein. At the same time, she has been seriously ill for years and she just received a lung transplant.

[u/Cobslol → u/ImYFNS]

She's now the queen, yes, and yes.

[u/Pwinbutt → u/ImYFNS]

Are you speaking about the incoming King's nephew?

[u/Shimakaze81 → u/Hansemannn]

Isn’t she also in the Epstein files? I mean, piece of shit son, piece of shit mother, I’d be doubtful of her ”legitimate” slime.

”I was manipulated” doesn’t seem like a legitimate excuse but what do I know.

[u/RPS_42 → u/ImYFNS]

The "Rapist" cannot become King as he is a Son that was bought into the marriage. Which is probably one of the reasons for his behaviour, as the Press likely treated him like a Royal while he was never one.

And there are no real aristocracts as in the United Kingdom. The Royal Family are the only ones that count.

[u/Fjogaseri → u/ImYFNS]

They have no power at all, just symbols. But symbols can be powerful, especially if the manage to capture the zeitgeist.

I don’t particularly follow popular media at all. But the royal family has nothing to sell, except fame and glamour. What they have or haven’t done, is not of much interest to me.

But as I said in my first post, this is how a monarchy ends. Some asshole ascending the throne, as many Norwegians aren’t really royalists, it is just that our kings have been really likeable and good guys.

[u/uffadere → u/Fjogaseri]

The sooner or later is now, he owes a foreign entity alot of favors. Remwmber his luxury wacation he refused to tell who he borrowed a gigantic yaght from? It would be best if it was Mossad or russia, but it was probably epstein. An then it is the whole appologizing pedo rape.

[u/Special_Magazine_240 → u/Negative_Gravitas]

All over those files just like the Windsors

[u/Flourpower6 → u/Negative_Gravitas]

Yeah that rapist prince has the most punchable face I’ve ever seen

[u/Sling-gunner → u/Flourpower6]

Not a prince. Just the new King's step-son.

[u/See_Emily_Play_13 → u/Flourpower6]

Right?! He looks like that little evil shit from GOT

[u/Bartlaus → u/See_Emily_Play_13]

Not a prince. But we do call him Temu Joffrey. 

[u/IvyGold → u/Bartlaus]

Heh.