King Harald V of Norway passed away this Friday at the age of 89 at the National Hospital of Oslo after a period marked by his delicate health condition. As communicated by the country’s royal house, the monarch “fell asleep peacefully” at 6:35 in the morning after being hospitalized for eleven days in a “very serious” condition. The sovereign had accumulated fluid during corticosteroid treatment for hemolytic anemia, subsequently developing a bacterial blood infection.
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His son, Prince Haakon, was by his side until the last moment, being the person responsible for keeping the final watch at the medical center. But after this difficult moment for him, he assumes the crown as the new king of Norway, opening a new chapter alongside Mette-Marit as queen consort at the most complex time for the institution.
Although all eyes are on the country’s next king, the complicated situation of his wife is not going unnoticed. It has not been an easy year for the crown princess. In addition to her health problems, the publication of the Jeffrey Epstein papers, which revealed the connection between them in the past, has emerged. After admitting that she did have contact with him between 2011 and 2014, she stated that she felt “deceived” and wished “she had never met him.”
“But it is also important to clarify that no one should pity me, but rather all the victims who suffered the harsh attacks and deserve justice,” she said in an interview with the NRK channel. These documents, declassified at the end of January, demonstrated the friendship that existed between them, which led her to admit that she spent a few days at the magnate’s house in Palm Beach. A scandal that once again struck the image of the woman who now becomes queen consort after the death of her father-in-law.
But during all this time, Mette-Marit has not only had to deal with her own problems but also those caused by her son. Marius Borg Høiby, the eldest son from her previous relationship with businessman Morten Borg, has been sentenced to four years in prison for two cases of rape and other crimes. While the appeals filed by both parties are resolved, Haakon’s stepson must remain at Skaugum, the family residence, under house arrest by order of the Oslo District Court.
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A case that has been a blow to the institution and directly affects his mother. She herself wanted to talk about this on public television NRK, admitting the damage the criticism has caused her all this time. “What hurt me the most was being judged for how we acted as parents, for not taking it seriously,” she said. But nothing has been able to stop the storm that threatens to overshadow the beginning of her reign as queen consort.
Mette-Marit’s health problems also mark her beginning as queen
An image crisis whose severity has only worsened Mette-Marit’s health, who was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018. This chronic disease forced her to reduce her public appearances until doctors decided to place her on a waiting list for a lung transplant, which was successfully performed at the beginning of summer. “The progression of the crown princess’s lung disease is severe,” her medical team said before carrying out the decisive operation.
What is clear is that her path to the throne has not been easy from the very beginning, when she was questioned for her non-aristocratic past and a youth that sparked resistance from the country’s most conservative sectors. However, always supported by her husband and the monarchy itself, the new queen consort now faces the most demanding test of her public life. After the death of King Harald, she assumes her new institutional responsibilities determined to restore the image of the Crown and to demonstrate that, against all odds, her commitment to the Norwegian people remains intact.
Read more Streaming | Live from the Royal Palace of Norway, where the farewell to Harald V is being prepared
