Crown Princess Mette-Marit is departing from royal protocol. Norway's future Queen is reportedly not attending the 80th birthday of King Carl Gustaf, an event that's being touted as one of the biggest royal engagements in recent memory, and will be held at Stockholm's Royal Palace.
© NTB/AFP via Getty ImagesThe Swedish court is planning an elegant dinner this April 30th, attended by their closest royal friends and family. While Mette-Marit has a scheduled appearance for an engagement this week, the fact that she won't attend the royals' celebration shows a pattern of behavior that has begun to consolidate; her appearances are more likely when the environment is controlled, her agenda is reduced, and her involvement can be included as a last-minute addition.
Swedish press speculates that the confirmation of King Harald, Queen Sonia, and Crown Prince Haakon's attendance will have them traveling aboard the HNoMY Norge, the King's Royal Yacht, a moment of visibility that Mette-Marit won't be a part of. This absence is being labeled as historic, especially due to Mette-Marit's close relationship to the Swedish royal house, with her serving as Prince Oscar's godmother.
The Swedish royal veteran reporter Yngve Kvistad claims that for a royal to skip out on a celebration of this sort, they usually provide an excuse for their absence. Mette-Marit's unexplained absence is being interpreted as a gesture that "breaks with the tradition of mutual representation between the Scandinavian monarchies," he writes, as reported by our sister website HOLA! Spain.
© TT NEWS AGENCY/AFP via Getty ImaIn the midst of health woes and controversies
This past December, Mette-Marit's doctor, Are Martin Holm, opened up about her health in a press conference, making it clear that her pulmonary fibrosis condition was delicate. He said that there was a possibility of her needing a lung transplant. These statements and Mette-Marit's recent behavior make it likely that she could become a late-minute guest at King Carl Gustaf's birthday. Over the past few months, her surprise appearances have become more and more common, all depending on the setting of the engagement and her health.
Mette-Marit's attendance at King Carl Gustaf's birthday would mark her first public appearance in some time alongside other members of royal families.
© Photonews via Getty ImagesOver the past year, following her son Marius Borg's trial and the reexamination of her friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, Mette-Marit's position in the Norwegian royal family has been extensively discussed. It's also been reassured by her husband, who has made it clear that she'll be a part of the monarchy going forward, and by her attendance at the welcoming of the Belgian royals while on their state visit to Norway. She was also mentioned in King Harald's speech during a state dinner. Despite the speculation and the theories that have popped up in the past months, Mette-Marit remains a key figure in Norway's future.
In past months, Mette-Marit's appearances have displayed some common threads. She tends to attend events hosted at Oslo's Royal Palace, where there's a limited duration and full control of the environment, eliminating questions from journalists and interactions with the public. Her next confirmed public appearance will be on April 23rd, at the Fosse Awards.
© Photonews via Getty Images
