#can we please stop calling frederik an influencer king please and thank you

[andiatas]

Royal House expert: -⁠ Seems to have forgotten the art of celebrating with the people

Royal House expert Trond Norén Isaksen believes the Norwegian Foyal Family has much to learn from its Danish royal guests.

There have been magnificent parties, receptions and a lot of glitz and glamour in connection with the new Danish royal couple's visit to Norway this week.

- It is the task of the royal houses to highlight the state and its symbols with a festivity that the political power holders cannot afford, says royal book author Tor Bomann-Larsen to VG.

He thinks that it is natural that the display of splendour is at its strongest in the meeting with our old union partner, Denmark.

- The contrast with the state visit from Moldova is almost striking, although the political significance of this visit was perhaps just as great, Bomann-Larsen insists to VG.

- The so-called "pomp and splendour" stage makes the monarchy visible, but monarchies are not alone. There are also republics, such as the French one, with much pomp and splendour. This contributes to exalting the monarchy or the president, says historian and royal house expert Trond Norén Isaksen to VG.

- Then, it is the case that tiaras and gala dinners attract more attention from the media and the public than all-weather jackets and breakfast meetings. Therefore, a little pomp and splendour can help to increase the royal family's visibility, continues Isaksen.

"Most people"

He is of the opinion that in Norway, the royal family's current goal is for the royals to be like most people.

- People appreciate a down-to-earth royal house but also expect there to be something a little special and different about them. They shouldn't be exactly like the rest of us.

Norén Isaksen points out that the Norwegian royal house has much to learn from its royal Danish guests and the Swedish and British royal houses.

- When King Carl Gustaf celebrated his 50th anniversary last year, there was a grand gala dinner at Stockholm Palace. But the royal couple also went on a carriage and boat procession through the city, which ended with a large outdoor concert at the castle—a concert that was open to all and attracted many people. The Danish throne change was also a public celebration, and 174,000 people gathered outside Christiansborg Castle.

VG's commentator, Yngve Kvistad, writes that King Frederik is the influencer king.

- Europe's youngest monarch is criticized for being less visible than her mother. But King Frederik has several platforms where he meets people, writes Kvistad.

It is far from the Norwegian royal reality, according to Norén Isaksen.

- The Norwegian royal family, on the other hand, seems to have forgotten the art of celebrating with the people. When Princess Ingrid Alexandra celebrated her 18th birthday in 2022, the castle balcony was empty, and she drove in a closed car from the Castle to Deichman. "Why not an open car down the Karl Johan [street]?" asked people who were disappointed that they couldn't see her or take part in the celebration in any way.

According to Norén Isaksen, another example is the Crown Prince Couple's celebration of their joint 50th birthday last year.

- It took place behind high fences in the Palace's backyard with specially invited guests, again without the people being able to see them or participate in the celebrations. It would never work in Denmark, says Trond Norén Isaksen.

But there are several sides to the magnificent glitz and glamour celebration that we experience these days.

- You can wonder if a visit we've had by the new Danish Royal Couple with a lot of pomp and splendour can quickly become an escape from reality from all the bad things happening around the world, says TV 2's Royal Expert Ole-Jørgen Schulsrud-Hansen to VG.

Balance

Norén Isaksen points out that people expect that there will be some stardust.

- But not so much that it becomes unrealistic, tone-deaf or provocative. At the same time, there must not be so much pomp and splendour that it stings the eyes or that the content of what the royal family does is lost in the glare of the light. This balance varies depending on time and social conditions and is not always easy to strike.

Bomann-Larsen believes there is a sensitive tipping point in the relationship between domestic festivity and international misery.

- But in the deepest sense, the state visits clarify the countries' independence, mutual respect and recognition. A symbolic demonstration of power such as the one we see unfolding in the capital can be significant when many feel that national independence is threatened. Perhaps that is precisely why it is applied so thickly?

Translation and editing for clarity by me of an article by Jørn Pettersen for VG (Verdens Gang). The article was published on May 15, 2024, at 20:40, and updated at 21:57.