Crown and Controversy - Norway

King Harald V has been laid to rest after an emotional day of national mourning in Oslo. Here's the complete timeline of Norway's royal farewell—from the military procession through the capital and the state funeral at Oslo Cathedral to the private burial at Akershus Fortress and the first major public appearance of King Haakon VIII as Norway's new monarch. We cover Prince William representing Kin...

Norway will hold the funeral of King Harald the Fifth in Oslo, with a full day of royal ceremony, military processions and national mourning. Here’s what you need to know about the funeral route from the Royal Palace to Oslo Cathedral and Akershus Fortress, the three thousand five hundred military personnel involved, the security operation, the royal burial, and the balcony appearance expected fro...

What happens after a new Norwegian king takes the throne? King Haakon VIII has formally sworn allegiance to Norway’s constitution four days after the death of his father, King Harald V. Appearing before the Storting, Norway’s parliament, Haakon promised to govern according to the country’s constitution and laws and adopted the historic royal motto “All for Norway.” Why was Queen Mette-Marit absent...

Norway’s new King Haakon the Eighth leads the Royal Family in mourning following the death of his father, King Harald the Fifth, at age eighty-nine. We have the full plans for King Harald’s September ninth state funeral at Oslo Cathedral, the procession through Oslo and his burial at Akershus Fortress alongside his father and grandfather. Queen Mette-Marit misses a memorial service as she continue...

Who is Norway’s new king, and what happens to the Royal Family after the death of King Harald V? Crown Prince Haakon has become King Haakon VIII—but Norway will not hold a British-style coronation. Could the new king instead have a consecration ceremony at Nidaros Cathedral, and what royal traditions will mark the beginning of his reign? Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 22, is now Crown Princess and hei...

AI is sometimes used in the creation of this podcast, primarlily when used to translate and interpolate Norwegian language news soruces. You may also enjoy these other Royal Podcasts. Palace Intrigue - daily updates on the current British Ryal Family Crown and Controversy - British Royal Family after the TV Series The Crown King William - The Crown in the Future Crown and Controversy - King Charle...

Who was King Harald V of Norway, and why was he so loved by the Norwegian people? Norway’s monarch has died at 89 after more than 35 years on the throne, bringing one of the longest and most consequential reigns in modern Norwegian history to an end. His son has immediately succeeded him as King Haakon VIII, while Princess Ingrid Alexandra is now heir to the throne. We look back at Harald’s childh...

King Harald V of Norway is in an “extremely serious” condition at Oslo University Hospital, with Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette-Marit and other members of the Norwegian Royal Family gathering at his bedside. Crown Prince Haakon is serving as regent, while Norway’s prime minister has cancelled foreign travel as concern grows over the eighty-nine-year-old monarch. We look at...

Marius Borg Høiby is released from prison less than a month after receiving a four-year sentence and will now serve time under electronic monitoring at Skaugum, the official home of Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit. Meanwhile, Mette-Marit returns home after her lung transplant and delivers an emotional message of gratitude to her anonymous donor. Plus, King Harald welcomes Norway...

Marius Borg Høiby’s appeal means Norway’s most consequential royal criminal case will continue well into next year. We break down the appeal, the prosecution’s demand for a tougher sentence, Queen Sonja’s update on Mette-Marit’s recovery, preparations for the Crown Prince and Crown Princess’s silver wedding anniversary, and new analysis suggesting public confidence in Norway’s monarchy has fundame...

Who is Princess Märtha Louise of Norway, why did she give up her royal duties, and what happened when the King's daughter married American self-proclaimed shaman Durek Verrett at a fjord-side wedding sold to Hello magazine and Netflix? In this episode we explain who Durek Verrett is, what he claims about spirits, healing medallions and cancer, why the Norwegian press called him a con man, and why...

The verdict is in, the appeal is filed, and Norway is left asking the harder questions. We step back from the daily news cycle to examine what the Marius Borg Høiby case has actually revealed about the Norwegian royal family, why royal expert Tove Taalesen says the biggest consequence is not the prison sentence but the loss of the royal family's private life, what PR experts are now advising the p...

Norway’s royal family faces one of the most dramatic weeks in its modern history. Crown Princess Mette-Marit undergoes a successful double lung transplant after years of battling pulmonary fibrosis, while her eldest son, Marius Borg Høiby, begins a four-year prison sentence following his criminal conviction. We examine the extraordinary timing of the transplant, the surge in organ donor registrati...

Marius Borg Høiby was sentenced to four years in prison on Monday for two counts of rape and domestic violence — and within five hours he had announced he was appealing. What does the appeal mean for the victims, for the case timeline, and for a Norwegian monarchy already managing a Crown Princess on a lung transplant waiting list? We also cover the story Norwegian media is calling the real scanda...

At eight thirty on Monday morning in Courtroom 250 of the Oslo District Court, Judge Jon Sverdrup Efjestad read out a unanimous verdict that will define the Norwegian monarchy for years to come. Marius Borg Høiby, the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit, was convicted of two counts of rape, domestic violence against former girlfriend Nora Haukland, and twenty-eight other offences, and sentenced to f...

On Monday morning, a Norwegian court will deliver its verdict in the case of Marius Borg Høiby, the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit and stepson of Norway’s future king. As Norway prepares for a decision on forty criminal charges, a dramatic appeals court ruling has ensured that Marius will remain in prison through the verdict. At the same time, Crown Princess Mette-Marit has been placed on the l...

Who is Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, and how did a working-class single mother from Kristiansand become Norway's future queen? In this episode we tell the full story, from her dissolute past and her extraordinary pre-wedding television apology in 2001, through two decades of genuine royal service, to the Jeffrey Epstein correspondence revealed in the 2026 DOJ files and the question of why...

Who is Marius Borg Høiby, and why is the son of Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit facing trial on forty criminal charges including four counts of rape? In this episode we explain how Marius was raised inside the Norwegian royal family without ever officially belonging to it, why the Norwegian press nicknamed him Little Marius after an illegitimate character in an 1883 novel, and what the charges...

Crown Princess Mette-Marit has made a striking return to royal duty while using oxygen support in public for the first time, underscoring the seriousness of her health challenges. We also look at the full Crown Prince family appearing together amid mounting scrutiny, and Nora Haukland’s new interview about her relationship with Marius Borg Høiby as the case moves closer to a verdict AI is sometime...

Norway’s Supreme Court has issued a significant ruling that could matter a great deal in the Marius Borg Høiby case, particularly on the sexual assault charges involving women prosecutors say were asleep or otherwise unable to resist. The decision does not affect the question of guilt or innocence, but it could influence sentencing if Høiby is convicted on any of those counts. We break down what t...

Sunday prison visit: Haakon, Mette-Marit, and Sverre Magnus photographed arriving at Oslo Prison to see Marius. Appeals court rules Marius remains in detention until June verdict, rejects release request. Court cites "strong probability" of reoffending, points to Valentine's Day restraining order breach while in custody (flowers and letter to Frogner woman through third party). Defense argued medi...

Marius Borg Høiby will remain in custody after losing his appeal, while a major Supreme Court ruling on so-called sleep rape cases has opened a new legal front ahead of the expected June verdict. There is also growing backlash over how the Norwegian media covered the trial. AI is sometimes used in the creation of this podcast, primarlily when used to translate and interpolate Norwegian language ne...

Crown Princess Mette-Marit returned to public duties during the Belgian state visit, but the fallout from her Epstein interview continues. New criticism of the Palace’s media strategy, questions about how the NRK interview was handled, and a wave of opinion pieces suggest the story is far from settled. AI is sometimes used in the creation of this podcast, primarlily when used to translate and inte...

An appeals court has ruled that Marius Borg Høiby will remain in pre-trial detention, rejecting his request for release ahead of a verdict expected in early June. The court cited a “strong probability” of reoffending, pointing in part to a restraining order breach during the trial, when Høiby arranged to send flowers and a letter to the Frogner woman. His defense argued that intense media scrutiny...

Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit were seen arriving at Oslo Prison alongside Prince Sverre Magnus, just days after the trial of Marius Borg Høiby concluded. While prison visits are routine, the timing and visibility of this one have drawn significant attention, reading as a clear show of support as the family awaits a verdict expected in early June. We break down where the case s...