Princess Märtha Louise turns 50 today. How will she celebrate? After kicking her big day off with breakfast in bed, the Princess will start personally signing 1,000 copies of her new book.
The Princess’ birthday will be marked with coffee and cake in bed, but there will also be work. Namely, she’ll work on signing 1,000 copies of her new book Hést – klassisk og moderne strikk, which will be published later this month.
In a birthday-focused interview with NTB this week, Princess Märtha Louise reflected on 50 years of life. She has realized she inherited her mother’s efficiency and her father’s humor, the Princess told NTB.
“I probably look a lot like both, maybe with the efficiency of mom and the humor of dad,” she said when asked if she has, during her adult life, discovered personal features that remind her of the royal couple – her parents.
Märtha Louise likes to have many projects underway, like her mother. But she pointed out that she has not inherited Queen Sonja‘s willingness to train.
“It is still difficult to keep up with her when we are on a mountain hike, and she is 84! When we were in Lofoten last year, it was probably the first time I managed to keep up and at the same time have some surplus energy when I came back down,” she laughed.
See also: The Norwegian Royal Family: What you need to know
A changing monarchy
The Princess is two years older than her brother, Crown Prince Haakon, and is number four in the line of succession. Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus follow their father in line for the crown.
It was not until 1990 that the regulations were changed so that the firstborn in the Royal Family became heir to the throne, regardless of gender.
Over the years, Princess Märtha Louise has witnessed a changing monarchy. Her mother, now-Queen Sonja, joined the royal family in 1968 when she married the then-Crown Prince Harald – after much controversy.
“Then, it was all very male-dominated at the Castle. ‘Why should a woman come here?’ My mother did not even have her own office,” she said.
“So, she has come a long way from not having a place, to what she and dad have created together.”
Queen Sonja’s courage has been an inspiration and help, said Märtha Louise.
“For me, she has been a huge role model, also because she has so much energy, lots of plans, and a lot of iron in the fire all the time. There is always something to be renewed, refined, and improved,” she explained.
The pandemic and distancing
The Princess noted, “The pandemic has brought with it many challenges, and one of them has been not being able to be with my boyfriend Durek Verrett, who lives in the USA.
“It is very challenging and painful not to see each other for many months. It is very nice when you finally get to be with each other again, but we would have liked to have been able to visit each other more than we have been able to,” she said,
As for any relocation plans for her and Mr. Verret, Märtha Louise said, “I have no idea! It has been postponed all the time, so we’ll see when it happens. And right now, I’m here. I do not have a schedule for it.”
Opened up in TV documentary
Earlier this year, TV viewers could get to know the Princess and her daughters better in the documentary series Märtha.
She said she chose to open up and show her life to adjust the impression that many have of her.
She was tired of being defined by others all the time.
“It’s often a distorted picture of me out there, and it’s made so sensational all the time. So, I felt that it was important for me to show who I am and what I really stand for,” the Princess said.
Märtha Louise has received a lot of kind and positive feedback after showing her everyday life on TV. Several viewers even expressed regret that they had a wrong impression of the princess.
“There are many who have said things like ‘Sorry I have misunderstood you’ and ‘I have been negative to you before, but now I understand more of you.’ And there are actually several press people who have come to me and said sorry too. So it has been very nice, that has,” said the Princess.
No mid-life crisis in sight
At the age of 50, Märtha Louise is experiencing a sense of security and strength that she said has been reinforced in the wake of the crisis that the family went through after Ari Behn took his own life during Christmas 2019.
“Now I know I can handle anything. And the fact that I know that means that I have a completely different security that I can continue life with,” she said.
There is no mid-life crisis in sight for the birthday girl. On the contrary, she looks forward to her 50s.
“There is something about just being alive as well. It’s better to be 50 than not to be,” she said.
“My father says that age is just a number, so I to listen to him who is a little older than me and has more experience.”
Source: ©️ NTB Scanpix / #NorwayTodayTravel
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