Bild has a story about the new official portraits the Norwegian court released last week. They put forward the query whether this is the year Mette-Marit will become queen. On their side in the evidence cluster is the Grand Tour trip the family took these past months, but they also cite that she is wearing a “crown, sash and an order with the King’s picture on it” as an introduction to the question.
Although, King Harald has had his share of health problems, he seems to be in okay enough shape today that any sort of prediction on the matter as to when his son will take over… is equally difficult as to any other person at his age.
If we’re looking at the genetics, his parents lived until they were 87 (King Olav) and 53 years (Crown Princess Märtha).
Out of his four grandparents, Queen Maud lived the shortest, and died just before her 69th birthday. Her cousin, Princess Ingeborg of Sweden surpassed her by ten years and died at the age of 79. Ingeborg’s brother, and Maud’s husband, King Haakon lived until the age of 85. And Prince Carl of Sweden lived until the age of 90.
In the generations before them, medical treatment had not grown as prevalent as it is today.
Haakon and Ingeborg’s parents: Frederik VIII of Denmark died at the age of 68 and his wife, Queen Louise, lived until she was 74.
Maud’s parents: Edward VII of the United Kingdom died at the same age as his brother-in-law, after having been Prince of Wales for most of his life. His wife, and Frederik VIII’s sister, Queen Alexandra lived until she was 80.
Carl’s parents: Oscar II of Sweden and Norway lived until 78, Queen Sophia lived until she was 77.
In the generation before that… we find both ends of the spectre. It seems to be a mix of very early deaths, such as Prince Albert who died at 42, or very late deaths such as Christian IX of Denmark who lived to 87 .
As for today’s relatives, his older sisters are still alive, his cousin Albert II of the Belgians is 76, his second cousin, Queen Elizabeth II, is 84, and another second cousin, Carl Johan Bernadotte is 94.
To conclude, King Harald, as Queen Margrethe, have mentioned that he does not subscribe to the notion of retirement for monarchs (paraphrased), it seems difficult to be able to predict just when Mette-Marit will become queen.