They sell themselves – and the entire royal house

Royally
Princess Märtha Louise
They sell themselves and the royal house

Jenny Alexandersson

This is a commenting text. Analysis and positions are the writer's.

Updated 15.36 | Published 15.10

Photo: Heiko Junge / NTB

If members of the royal family commit violent crimes or sell their weddings to the highest bidder - why do we have a royal house?

Many Norwegians ask themselves that question today.

Princess Märtha Louise and shaman Durek Verrett have sold the image rights to their wedding to the streaming giant Netflix and the British magazine Hello.

The rest of the "pack" gets to stand and stomp by the red carpet and take whatever photos they can of the bride and groom and the guests.

Märtha Louise and Durek detest the Norwegian press. They feel they are being slandered and misinterpreted. They abhor pretty much all pressure - except the ones that pay well.

The money from the big media houses probably rattles nicely in the pocket when the bill for the four-day wedding has to be paid.

It's not cheap to get married.

This isn't an official royal wedding, so the couple can do as they please, one might think. In addition, the princess, in consultation with her father King Harald, renounced all royal duties in 2022.

She is thus no longer part of the Norwegian royal house, i.e. the official part of the royal sphere.

But she is still part of the royal family. And whatever the court says, the royal house will be colored by everything Märtha Louise says and does.

In 2019, the king stepped down after his daughter repeatedly used her royal title to make money. It's a trend she continued with.

It is overstepping that a royal house cannot afford.

The heads of state and their families hate being seen as celebrities. If then someone in the family behaves like an influencer and sells their title and status for money, then the regent must put a stop to it.

But the problem is that people do not distinguish between the royal house and the royal family, even though the court stubbornly tears their hair out to explain the difference.

By pointing out that Marius Borg Høiby does not belong to the royal house, you can create a distance between the head of state and the serious crime of violence. No comments will be given.

But the question is how long will the silent strategy last?

The court and the royal family are very aware of the problem they face.

They cannot control the reporting of the scandals. A legal process awaits where a member of the royal family will have to answer for having abused his then girlfriend.

Nor can they control the princess and the shaman's wedding circus.

These events also continue into the future because they are forever written in the history books.

We are at a turning point in history where royals who lack political power seek their relevance in other ways.

The younger generation, who are far from the throne, are looking to social media and private companies that can secure their income.

But at the same time they don't want to lose the status and reputation they have as royalty.

British Prince Harry is a prime example of this. He considered himself entitled to sign multi-million dollar contracts with Spotify and Netflix while continuing to shake hands with foreign dignitaries in Britain's name.

It doesn't work and Harry lost his place in the royal house.

No one should be able to doubt that a royal house is impartial. It is a guarantee that people will accept spending tax money on a family for generations.

The princess and the shaman's wedding festivities began with a welcome party with the dress code "sexy and cool".

The bride and groom wore matching pink outfits, she a halter neck dress and he a suit - which of course comes from the princess's fashion company.

Everything can be sold.

But everything also has a price.

Confidence in the Norwegian royal house has dropped drastically.

One rages at the couple's greed, the shaman's shocking statements over the years and Märtha's lack of respect for her family.

The bride and groom are extremely aware that it is the royal status that creates business opportunities and status. It is therefore no coincidence that the title of princess appears again and again in commercial contexts.

Perhaps it is time for the king and the crown prince to sit down and have a serious talk with the princess and the shaman again.

If now the couple ids listen.