OPINION: Haakon’s first mistake as King

Norway’s new king had an important job in his first week: show that the monarchy was a steady force during national mourning and signal that the monarchy under a new monarch deserves the public’s trust. While the emotion and empathy he’s shown as he and his family mourn King Harald’s death is commendable, putting a convicted rapist front and center escorting Harald’s coffin damages that mission greatly.

Marius Borg Høiby left house arrest he’s serving for his rape conviction on 31 August to walk with members of the Norwegian Royal Family as King Harald’s coffin moved through the Royal Palace. As the King’s stepson, he holds no title or official role. It is of course understandable that he would be at private events and in the audience at the funeral. However, his presence front and center at a public event was not protocol or mandatory. It was Haakon’s call, and Haakon made the wrong one.

It is worth remember that throughout the trial and public coverage, it came out that Marius hosted “Skaugum festivals” where parties were hosted at the official residence of Haakon and his family which has been in the possession of the royal family for over a century. Marius was convicted in June, sentenced to four years in prison, has subsequently been placed on house arrest, and is currently appealing. This isn’t a distant scandal. It happened right on their property, and by not drawing a line now they continue to stoke the fires of the justified public outrage.

In addition to this scandal, Haakon is taking the throne months after his wife’s emails to Jeffrey Epstein became public. A poll commissioned by NRK and released in May showed that around a third of Norwegians wanted to abolish the monarchy when King Harald died. These numbers were especially strong amongst young people and it was one of the largest republican sentiments in that poll ever. This shows that these scandals had a real impact on public faith in the monarchy and that strong, firm boundaries are needed to protect the monarchy. Given that, the decision to have a convicted rapist front and center at a public event is a massive mistake.

In addition, I can’t help but wonder what Marius’s victims, Norwegians who are sexual assault victims, and indeed sexual assault victims worldwide must feel when they see someone clearly found to be an abuser in a court of law is given such a position of prominence by the most prominent member of the monarchy, the monarch itself. I can certainly understand how people in that situation would say that Haakon doesn’t represent them.

Of course I understand that Marius will attend the funeral, private events, and even the public events in some capacity. I think if he was in the crowd, it would be a way for him to grieve and to allow the family some elements of the family grief processing they need while respecting that the Norwegian Royal Family is a public institution and as such funerals and mourning are public events where the messaging must be in accordance with Norwegian values.

King Haakon had a choice here, and he chose wrong in a pretty spectacular fashion. The monarchy runs on public trust. The polling shows King Haakon doesn’t have the same reserves in the trust bank that King Harald did. I can’t help but think King Haakon spent a bit of those smaller reserves with this ill-advised decision.