This means King Harald’s downsizing for Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit

“However, the king will make adjustments to his program going forward, due to his age. This will entail a permanent reduction in the number and scope of activities in which the King participates. Practical arrangements will also be made in the implementation of his official activity”.

This was stated in the press release from the Palace on Monday, when it became known that King Harald (87) is stepping down.

At the same time, it emerged that the king was to resume his constitutional duties as head of state, conduct meetings and audiences at the Palace, as well as official visits around Norway.

But what does the king’s downsizing actually mean for the other royals – and especially the crown prince couple?

Greater pressure

Dagbladet has been in contact with royal house expert, historian and author Trond Norén Isaksen, who follows the royals closely.

He points out that Crown Princess Mette-Marit (50) already has a very reduced program as a result of the serious illness she suffers from – pulmonary fibrosis.

– On the other hand, it puts even greater pressure on the crown prince, who is really the only one who can take over the tasks the king does not perform, says Norén Isaksen, and continues:

– The Crown Prince works at times for both two and three, and it is he who is responsible for most of the representation duties and travel.

Less visible

Both the king and the crown princess have reduced their official program in recent years. According to the royal house expert, this means that the total number of tasks performed by members of the royal family outside the royal estates has dropped drastically in recent years.

This results in the royal family becoming less visible in public, which Norén Isaksen believes is a problem as it is very important for a royal family to be visible.

– As the Crown Princess is ill, Princess Märtha Louise has given up her official duties and the Crown Prince’s children are in education, most of the responsibility falls on the Crown Prince.

He adds that the alternative to Crown Prince Haakon is Queen Sonja (86).

– But she herself is almost 87 years old – believe it or not – and does not have so many official assignments, but all the more administrative tasks to take care of.

– Only have 24 hours

Se og Hø’s royal house expert, Caroline Vagle, also believes the king’s decision gives the crown prince more work.

– He is mostly the one who takes over the tasks after his father. The Crown Princess has limited work capacity due to chronic illness, and will therefore not be able to take over as much, says Vagle, and continues:

– The Queen will be able to step in, but there is probably a limit to how much extra work you can put on an almost 87-year-old lady, no matter how fit and vital she is.

Overall, Vagle believes this means that we will see less of the royal family.

– Even if the crown prince takes all the tasks he is given head on, there are only 24 hours in his day, too.

– However, I am not sure how big the difference will be. The king has already scaled back quite a bit in recent years, and the crown prince just as much.

TV2’s royal house expert Ole-Jørgen Schulsrud-Hansen tells Dagbladet that there has been a slow but sure tapering ever since the king’s heart operation several years ago.

– I don’t think there will be any huge changes in the first place, but it is natural that the crown prince and the rest of the royal family will have to do a little more and be given more tasks than they have had. The Norwegian royal family is starting to get a little thin, so it will be interesting to see how they solve the problem they are facing now.

– How do you think they solve it?

– It is hard to say. You have to look at which members will work. In Great Britain, for example, even the cousins ​​of the late Queen Elizabeth have worked, and there too you see replacements due to age. The British and Norwegian monarchies are somewhat in the same situation – there are few members who are working. And part of the monarchy’s job is to be visible.