Crown Princess Mette-Marit was interviewed in the Norwegian publication Natt & Dag. Here is a link to the original interview, including pictures.
I have translated bits of the interview.
Interviewer: So, how bit a difference is there from the life you imagined as a Crown Princess to the life you’re currently living?
MM: I probably imagined a life more filled with formality. Because that’s often what you see from outside. But the formalities become less important when you’re in the middle of it. Then you’re concerned with content. I want to fill my role with content, so it becomes valuable to others. And, by virtue of that, important to me. That’s why I have chosen to focus on some areas that I find particularly important. In Norway I have worked a lot with inclusion, mental health and youth. Internationally, I have worked with the HIV/AIDS problem.
Interviewer: Have you had to put any visions or plans for the future aside?
MM: Not really. I have always been very interested in the people who are different, and who have been standing on the sidelines. And I feel that I have managed to bring that into this job.
Interviewer: Has he [the Crown Prince] any bad everyday habits you can tell us about?
MM: He’s got a very bad habit that does not go well with me. Every time we fly, which we do a lot, he falls asleep. And I am terrified of flying. In addition, he can seem rather distant, but a lot of men can be that, I suppose.
Interviewer: The days you don’t want to get out of bed, what do you do then?
MM: (Laughing) I’m only answering that if it does not make your front page. You have to promise me. I’ll answer. I try to be in bed as long as I can. And if I can’t, if I have to do, I get up. That’s the answer that says a lot about me, I think. If I have to do something, I have to. Then I do it. I think that’s something I have learnt about myself over the past years; that if there is a fire, I pull up my shirt sleeves and do something about it. I think that is an ability that is helpful in this role.
Interviewer: What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve done in public?
MM: I have an incredible talent for tripping everywhere. And I find that rather boring. Tripping and walking out of my shoes; I do it all the time when I am out at work. I’m a bit clumsy.
Interviewer: Best album?
MM: I think I’ll say my great heroine, Kate Bush. Her last album, A Sky of Honey. It is one of my favourite albums.
Interviewer: Best book?
MM: Oh, there are so many. But one of my favourite books is a book called Sweetness. I don’t know the Norwegian title, because I read it in English, but it is written by a Swedish author called Torgny Lindgren. He’s one of my favourite authors, has written many great books, you should read them. The Wild Sheep Chase, I love it, and then there is Knausgård, who I found touching.
Interviewer: Best TV-show?
MM: The West Wing.
Interviewer: Number of tiaras?
MM: Three