King Harald, who met reporters Wednesday after he and Queen Sonja officially took over a posh new flat inside Oslo's Royal Palace, was asked to comment on a recent public opinion poll that shows support for the monarchy has taken a dive.
The poll also showed that a majority of Norwegians support holding a referendum in 2005 on monarchy versus republic. The date would mark 100 years since Norway's current monarchy was restored.
"That debate won't have me as a participant," said King Harald. He also declined comment on what he and Queen Sonja think of the negative public reaction to their daughter's romance with a brash young author who appeared to be shown using drugs in a television documentary.
The royal couple is still emerging from public uproar over their son's decision to move in with an unwed mother once active in Oslo's drug-infested "house party" scene. The controversy settled down somewhat when Crown Prince Haakon and Mette-Marit Tjessem-Høiby got engaged.
Concerns remain over whether today's royal family has become "too ordinary" to be royal. "They can't be representative only from nine till four, and then go out and party all night," said one observer.
Crown Prince Haakon said in an interview earlier this week that he supports a public debate on the future of the monarchy. Other leading figures, including former Prime Minister Odvar Nordli and Data Inspectorate boss Georg Apenes, also have signaled the time is ripe for a public re-evaluation of Norway's monarchy.
Political support in Parliament for a constitutional debate on the monarchy so far has been weak, however. Only the Social Left party has formally said it supports a republic. The leader of the Conservative party (Høyre) told newspaper Dagbladet that the recent poll didn't provide sufficient reason to bring up the matter in Parliament.
Aftenposten Interactive English Desk
Nina Berglund
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