When he entered public life fifteen years ago he was often referred to as "little Marius", but time flies and today the Crown Prince's stepson, Marius Borg Høiby, turns eighteen and thus reaches his majority.
Marius Borg Høiby was born to the then Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby and Morten Borg on 13 January 1997 and was still just two years old when his mother began a relationship with the Crown Prince in 1999. His family understandably tried to shield him from unwelcome media attention, but many will remember him playing with the Queen on the floor of the Royal Lodge during the 2000 Christmas photo session and as a pageboy at his mother's and stepfather's wedding on 25 August 2001.
The King decided that Marius should be a member of the royal family, but not of the royal house, which means that he is a natural presence at family events, but does not take part in official events that are not family events, except for the occasional more informal event, such as a football match or a concert. Thus he does for instance not join his siblings on the palace balcony on the National Day and it is not expected that he will carry out official engagements or represent Norway abroad as an adult.
So far, the media have mostly left Marius alone, but it remains to be seen whether his unusual position will provide him with the best of both worlds or if his royal status will restrict him in trying to lead a normal life.
Tuesday, 13 January 2015
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The aptly named "Little Marius" is the (out of wedlock) son of a petty criminal who is a convicted felon. He is not a member of any royal family, he is a nobody. He is not royal, not noble, not even a member of what is referred to as "den honette klasse" in Norway. His namesake in the novel is also from a lower class than his classmates.
ReplyDeleteYou are quite right that Marius Borg Høiby is born out of wedlock (as is the majority of Norwegian children), and you are also right that his father has a conviction (for drug possession), which is well known, and you are right that he is not noble (the nobility was abolished in 1821), but you are wrong in claiming that he is not a member of any royal family, as he is in fact a member of the Norwegian royal family and listed as such in the State Almanach and on the royal website (http://www.royalcourt.no/seksjon.html?tid=28435&sek=27259). Personally I would prefer if membership of the royal family was limited to those with a royal title, which I think would also make things easier for the untitled family members, but that is of course not for me or you to decide, but for the King, who in 2002 made the decision that also Ari Behn, Erling S. Lorentzen, the late Johan Martin Ferner, Marius Borg Høiby and the children of Princess Märtha Louise should count as members of the royal family.
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