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Majority supports royal engagement
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Haakon and Mette-Marit went for a walk at St Hanshaugen Monday in a move aimed at letting the press photograph them together.
PHOTO: TOR JARILD
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Three of every five Norwegians think it would be a good idea if Crown Prince Haakon and his live-in girlfriend got engaged. A new opinion poll indicates only 17% oppose the royal match.
The poll, conducted for Aftenposten, indicates that support for the crown prince and Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby is strongest among younger Norwegians. Roughly 75 percent of those aged 44 years or under said they think it would be positive if Haakon and Mette-Marit announce their engagement.
Another 28 percent, however, think such an engagement would weaken the monarchy in Norway. Tjessem Høiby's background has raised eyebrows among many, in part because she is an unwed mother who was active in Oslo's drug-infested "house party" scene and because she has had connections to criminal elements.
The poll also defies several informal surveys that have popped up on the Internet lately. One such survey resulted in some 60 percent responding that they did not think Tjessem Høiby was fit to be Norway's next queen.
(Aftenposten Interactive))
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