The king's acceptance of his son's distinctly un-royal domestic situation breaks new ground, not only in Norway but among European royal families in general. While royals often have had extra-marital affairs throughout the centuries, Crown Prince Haakon's looming co-habitation marks a clear break with royal convention.
King Harald's also broke several days of royal silence on the issue that has dominated Norwegian headlines since Saturday, when the palace announced that Haakon had bought a flat near downtown Oslo and would share it with his girlfriend Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby and her son from a previous relationship.
The announcement raised eyebrows even in Norway, where extra-marital domestic situations are commonplace. It also sparked concern from bishops of Norway's state church, which officially promotes marriage as the preferred domestic relationship.
King Harald said Wednesday that he hopes his son will marry eventually, but that right now he and Tjessem Høiby need time to test their relationship.
"Let me first say that I'm very glad the Crown Prince has found himself a girlfriend," he said during a brief meeting with reporters in New York, where he is attending the United Nations' Millennium Summit. He added that both he and Queen Sonja have grown fond of Mette-Marit.
He conceded that the co-habitation issue was difficult, but after much thought and family discussions, "we have concluded that this is perhaps the best thing" for the couple to do right now. "We hope and believe," he quickly noted, "that it will lead to marriage."
He called their co-habitation "a transition period."
King Harald is on record as being opposed to couples living together without being married, but said his son's situation has changed his mind and that his living arranged is not a problem for the family.
King Harald denied the Crown Prince had been stubborn and simply opted to do what he wanted. "We have discussed this, openly and pleasantly," the king said. "We are in agreement."
Nor does the king think his son's domestic situation sets a poor example, as long as his co-habitation doesn't last too long.
The king also noted that his own romance with Sonja Haraldsen made waves in the 1960s because it marked the first time an heir to the thrown married a commoner. And he said Queen Sonja "had problems" with being "thrown into" a new royal role. Their own experience, he indicated, allows them to sympathize with Haakon's and Tjessem Høiby's situation.
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