Princess Mette-Marit: “We are a good team, but…”

Prince Haakon + Princess Mette-Marit
“We’re a good team, but…”

The trailer for their new TV project already makes it clear: Prince Haakon, 50, and Princess Mette-Marit, 50, love to laugh! The two can often be seen in shots sitting next to each other on a sofa. Here and there it is Mette-Marit’s comments that make Haakon laugh heartily. “Everyone keeps asking me what it’s like to turn 50, but I’m so tired of thinking about turning 50. Can’t we just stop talking about it?” jokes the heir to the throne. “You don’t want to talk about it, and I don’t want to talk about it,” Mette-Marit agrees in a good mood.

Prince Haakon + Princess Mette-Marit conquer TV side by side

The new three-part documentary by the Norwegian royals is called “Kronprinsparet – vårt Norge” (in German: “The Crown Prince Couple – Our Norway”). The basis for the filming is trips through their home country that Prince Haakon and Princess Mette-Marit undertook as part of their 50th birthdays. To divert the focus from his special day, Haakon humorously explains, according to the Norwegian website “Hänt”: “So I thought we could drive through Norway and take a film crew with us to show our Norway instead.”

The special charm of the three-part documentary: Prince Haakon and Princess Mette-Marit rang the doorbells of Norwegians all over the country during their travels – a royal surprise visit par excellence! “How would you have reacted if the Crown Prince Couple had suddenly rung the doorbell? Some Norwegians were able to experience that,” says the Instagram post from the TV station “TV 2”, which produced and broadcast the documentary.

Expert is sure: documentary “people will like it”

The nobility expert Caroline Vagle was able to see the first minutes of the documentary in advance. She explains to the Swedish website “Se og Hør”: “I saw the first episode and thought it was good. The Crown Prince and Crown Princess seem natural and relaxed, and I think people will like that.” She particularly praises the behavior between Prince Haakon and Princess Mette-Marit. “Perhaps especially to see the tone between the two. You also get an insight into their work as they travel through Norway and meet some Norwegians who tell their stories.”

Princess Mette-Marit: “We are a good team, but…”

In the documentary, Haakon says at one point that he and Mette-Marit “complement each other well.” He also finds attending appointments as a duo extremely positive. “It’s much nicer to travel together. I really enjoy working with her.” But things “don’t always go smoothly,” because the princess said: “We’re a good team, but every now and then it can get a little heated. I think that’s mainly because we have a great feeling of security, because we have been working together for almost 22 years.” Princess Mette-Marit goes on to explain that she knows Haakon so well and immediately knows what annoys him.

In the documentary we also learn about the Crown Princess that she often gets nervous before official assignments, especially on long days when there is a lot on the agenda and on top of that there are interviews to do. But her husband helps. “Haakon is good at recognizing this and just increasing his own energy,” she praises. The Crown Prince, in turn, praises his wife’s ability to be “real” when they meet people.

Prince Haakon and Princess Mette-Marit are the most popular figures in Norway

Nobility expert Caroline Vagle further emphasizes that the Crown Prince couple’s documentary is not comparable to TV projects by other royals. Princess Märtha Louise, 52, and her daughters, Maud Angelica Behn, 20, and Leah Isadora Behn, 18, have each appeared in front of the cameras for their own reality series. “I don’t think you can compare this to the type of programs that Princess Märtha Louise and her children participate in, which are reality shows,” Vagle said. She notes that Märtha-Louise, Maud and Leah “do not have any official role to fulfill” – in contrast to Haakon and Mette-Marit, who, as the crown prince couple, are the heirs to the throne of Norway.

Sources used: play.tv2.no, seer.no, hant.se, Dana Press

This article originally appeared on GALA.

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