UPDATED: Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit made a public appearance abroad this week but there’s bound to be less of them in the weeks to come. She recently started new treatment for a chronic lung disease, and the Royal Palace has reported that’s likely to “have consequences” for her official program.
Both Mette-Marit and Crown Prince Haakon joined royals and leaders from all five Nordic countries in Berlin on Monday. The occasion was the 25th anniversary of the opening of the Nordic embassy complex in Berlin in 1999. That’s when Europe and not least Germany had put the Cold War behind them and there was lots of optimism, after the reunification of the former East- and West Germany and the pending inclusion of most of the former Soviet-occupied Eastern Europe into the EU.
Norway still hasn’t joined the EU, but teamed up with the other Nordics to celebrate what the Norwegian foreign ministry calls “the first and only place in the world where all Nordic embassies share, collaborate and deepen ties together on a daily basis.” Those participating noted that Berlin was also a “fitting place” for the project, as a capital that “symbolizes unification and collaboration in Germany and in Europe.”
Crown Princess Mette-Marit, now age 51, joined her husband in traveling to Berlin, but the Royal Palace recently announced that there can be changes in her program. The new medicines she’s taking for what’s been called “an unusual variant of lungefibrose,” can have side-effects, palace officials noted. Mette-Marit herself said when diagnosed in 2018 that the disease would put “restrictions” on her life, and that there would be periods when her physical condition isn’t as good as she’d wish.
She was still scheduled on the royals’ public program earlier this week to take part in the annual banquet for Members of Parliament at the Royal Palace on Thursday. That changed on Wednesday when the Royal Palace sent out a statement that she’s back on sick leave at least for the next week. Nothing else was publicly listed on the program, though, until a meeting with authors at the Opera House in Oslo on October 31, followed by a reception tied to mental health issues the following week at their residence in Asker.
The crown princess has a history of various health issues and recently has also had to deal with the arrest of her son Marius Borg Høiby, after he went on a rampage in a girlfriend’s home. He has since admitted to a history of drug and alcohol problems and apologized for assaulting his now-former partner, but he still faces criminal charges for vandalism, assault and for making threats against another man. He’s undergone questioning eight times, the most recent just last week, and police won’t rule out more sessions. He’s denied charges from two earlier female partners that he also abused them.
Prosecutor Andreas Kruszewski has been reluctant to answer recent questions from Norwegian media, and refused to tell Aftenposten when the police investigation will conclude. When asked whether police were still actively gathering information on Høiby, three months after his rampage, Kruszewski said “yes.” Restraining orders placed against Høiby remain in place, but have been violated on occasion.
Newspaper Dagens Næringsliv (DN) reported over the weekend that Høiby had himself requested that he be defended by an Oslo lawyer known for defending gang leaders, murderers and others in Oslo’s “underworld.” Øyvind Bratlien told DN himself that he’s known as a “gangster lawyer.” He confirmed that Høiby has himself told police that one of the women filing assault charges against him had instead mishandled him. Bratlien said it was up to the police whether charges might be filed against her.
Bratlien told Aftenposten last week Høiby would soon enter “full time rehabilitation.” He said it’s been “tough and difficult times for everyone,” making it difficult for Høiby “to focus fully on his own problems.”
Crown Princess Mette-Marit, who admitted to a party-related lifestyle before meeting the crown prince in the 1990s, has refused to answer questions or comment on the charges against her son. Crown Prince Haakon initially described the charges as “serious” but has also refused further comment along with the rest of the royal family and palace officials.
NewsinEnglish.no/Nina Berglund
