In 2007, it was revealed through a book written by a former employee, how the Norwegian magazine Se & Hør was using bribes to keep tabs on the Norwegian royal family. The bribes went to employees in the airplane companies, banks, the Norwegian defense, the police…
It got to the point where Ari Behn and Princess Märtha Louise went on their honeymoon with cash in a suitcase instead of using credit cards, because they suspected that their credit cards were under surveillance.
Now a former employee at the Danish magazine Se & Hør has also written a book. Allegedly, according to the book, the Norwegian version of the magazine was not the only one keeping illegal tabs on its core material. The book alleges, according to BT, that the magazine has, for at least four years, paid a Danish IT specialist to keep tabs on the charge cards of the royal and the famous. The IT specialist worked for the Danish provider of credit/debit card systems.
The book claims to be fictional, but according to BT, behind the fiction is truth. They have confirmed with celebrities who have been named in the book that the information about them, whether Se & Hør published it or not, is correct. They also claim that the information is not something that would have been publicly available.
It is also claimed in the book that the magazine got their information about the honeymoon of Prince Joachim and Princess Marie by receiving information when Joachim’s credit cards were used. That’s how, a short while later, the magazine was able to get exclusive photos and information to share with its readers.
“We were always on their backs. It was bizarre. One second after Jokke had dragged his card through at, for example, a restaurant, the transaction would come through on my cell phone. So even though we lost them in the throng of Vancouver a couple of times, the credit card would always find them again.” – from the book, according to BT..
It is also mentioned by BT that Prince Henrik was one of the people under this type of surveillance.
The two former and the current editor of Se & Hør either denies the allegations or refuse to comment.
