As their royal family is engulfed in its biggest ever crisis, Norway’s king and queen have put country above chaos and made the trip to Italy to cheer on their Olympians.
King Harald, who will be 89 in just a few days’ time, and 88 year old Queen Sonja, headed to Italy for the Winter Games.
The Norwegian Royal Family is currently facing major crises. Crown Princess Mette-Marit, wife of the heir to the throne, is facing huge criticism over her ongoing relationship with convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. The revelations about their friendship, which saw the Crown Princess stay in one of Epstein’s homes, came as her son from a previous relationship, Marius Borg Høiby, went on trial for a series of charges including several counts.
However, King Harald and Queen Sonja are proudly representing the family at the Milano Cortina 2026 games.
The Norwegian King and Queen skipped the Opening Ceremonies but were loudly cheering on speed skater Ragne Wiklund on Saturday. Wiklund won a silver medal for Norway in the 3000m women’s speedskating event.
The royal couple looked happy to be at the winter games and were even wearing the official Team Norway kit. Designed by Craft Sportswear, both Harald and Sonja were wearing the white Team Norway parka.
King Harald was also wearing the iconic Dale of Norway Team Norway Cortina Sweater in red and white; the sweater is modeled on the sweater that Team Norway wore to the 1956 Olympic Games in Cortina d’Ampezzo. Dale of Norway is a Norwegian heritage knitwear company that was founded in 1879.
Both King Harald and Queen Sonja are keen sports fans and the Olympics mean a lot to both. Harald, while still Crown Prince of Norway, competed in the summer games in 1964, 1968 and 1972 in yachting.
King Harald and Queen Sonja continue to be popular public figures in Norway. King Harald is widely seen as a good constitutional monarch while his speeches and advice are noted for their calm and wisdom and have been hailed, at times, as instrumental in public life. Queen Sonja is also hugely popular and the couple have enjoyed sky high approval ratings – at the time of the silver jubilee, in 2016, over 90% of respondents in one poll said they approved of the monarchy.
However, the last decade has brought change and while King Harald and Queen Sonja remain popular and well supported, the next generation of royalty is a different matter. The couple’s daughter, Martha-Louise, has received criticism for attempting to use her royal title in business dealings. Her marriage to self proclaimed shaman, Durek Verrett, has also brought attack.
Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit are currently under public scrutiny for their continuing support of Mette-Marit’s son as he faces charges of rape, assault, drug-related offences, and more. In recent days, the Norwegian press has discussed their visit to a prison to see Borg Hoiby. And their daughter, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, has also been criticised after speaking out on her private Instagram account.
