The Norwegian royal Family, to say the least, has endured a tumultuous 2024. The country's future Queen, Crown Prince Mette Marit, saw her son arrested on suspicion of rape after two other high-profile arrests, while King Harald and Queen Sonia's daughter, Princess Melta Louise, married a Hollywood shaman known for his controversial views. As the drama surrounding the Norwegian royal Family continues to dominate the media, one expert offers an insight into the true emotions of the public.

Ole-Jørgen Schulsrud-Hansen, a royal commentator on Norwegian TV2, tells Marie Claire that while this year's news has affected the Norwegian people, it is not necessarily a crisis-level response. "Research shows that the Norwegian public has expressed a decline in confidence in the monarchy due to scandals and controversies that rocked the institution last year," he shares.

However, Schulsrud-Hansen pointed out that "it is not clear that the lack of trust in the monarchy has led to the activation of support for the Republic" and that a recent survey by Norwegian state broadcaster NRK has revealed "overwhelmingly positive" views on how the royal family has performed their official duties.

On 8 May, Crown Prince Mette (Marit's 27・year・old son), Marius Borg Hoiby (born to the future Queen from a former partner before meeting Prince Haakon), at the time Ka 9 May, the son of the princess was arrested for a second time for allegedly breaking a restraining order held against him by a woman, and On the 11th month. On the 18th, he was arrested again, this time on suspicion of rape.

Borg Høiby was later accused of 2 other separate sex crimes, according to Norwegian outlet Se og Hør. The stepchildren of the future King of Norway do not perform royal duties and do not hold royal titles, like the children of Queen Camilla.

Schulsrud-Hansen, who hosts the Undersåttene royal podcast, told Marie Claire, despite the legal problems of Mette-Marit's son, "I do not believe that this will weaken the Crown Princess's prospects as a future queen.

"The public seems to have a sympathetic deal for the Crown Princess at this point," he added.

Crown Prince Haakon spoke last month when his son-in-law was arrested, telling NRK "There are serious charges that Marius is currently facing. Today, of course, we are thinking of all those who have been affected.A day later, he told the broadcaster, "We as a family and as parents, of course, were very worried that Marius should get help.

When asked if he thinks the Royals are handling the situation well from a public relations perspective, Schulsrud-Hansen feels that "the royal silence shows how seriously they are aware of the situation," adding that "it is a police investigation and perhaps a future trial,"

"The Høiby case has evolved to the extreme from what he was when he was first arrested, and comments from the royal family at the time were worse than good." The broadcaster tells Marie Claire that King Harald and Queen Sonia have not spoken out on the recent controversy, other than comments the monarch made in a recent speech.

"The only thing King Harald mentioned about the issue with Høiby was a speech during a parliamentary dinner at the Palace in late May," says Schulsrud-Hansen. The king said that when one person in the family struggles, it affects the whole family.

As for Princess Melta Louise and her shaman husband, Durek Verrett, the 2024 wedding had an interesting impact on the public. "In early May 9, the Norwegian public thought the couple's wedding would harm the monarchy more than the Høiby case, but it seems to have changed since then," a Norwegian royal reporter revealed.

Of course, this is before Borg Høiby's rape accusations, and those stories don't seem to have largely put Märthalouise in the limelight. "The controversy around Princess Melta Louise and her husband has almost completely disappeared from the Norwegian media," Sursrud Hansen said.

As the royal scandal in Norway continues to fascinate the public, they tell us whether it will have a lasting impact on the reputation of the monarchy.