Scandinavia’s colourful royals

Love affairs, scandals and animal-whisperers – meet the racy royals of Scandinavia

SEX scandals, semi-nude models and drug-dealer baby daddies . . . the Scandinavian royals may not be as famous as their British counterparts but they’re certainly more colourful. British royals William and Kate recently paid a visit to their counterparts in colder climes. Here’s a look at the intriguing lives of the Swedish and Norwegian royal families.

SWEDEN King Carl XVI Gustaf (71)

King Carl is the second-longestreigning monarch in Swedish history.

He wed Queen Silvia (74), a German-Brazilian former flight attendant in 1976, four years after meeting her at the 1972 Summer Olympics.

At a show the evening before their wedding, Swedish pop group Abba performed Dancing Queen for the first time, in honour of their country’s new queen.

In 2010, the monarch found himself the centre of a scandal when a book by Swedish investigative journalists delved into his past, detailing how he partied in Mafia-run strip clubs, had alcohol-fuelled orgies and wild Jacuzzi parties. “He was only 27 when he took office, in the midst of his bachelor years, with girls, booze and ‘the lads’,” the authors wrote. “Then he suddenly became king and had to promise the people to be a loving father. It was a totally unreasonable promise.”

King Carl didn’t deny the allegations. “I’ve spoken with my family and the queen and we choose to turn the page and move forward because, as I understand, these are things that happened a long time ago.”

The king’s role is more ceremonial these days and in recent years Carl has been handing more duties to Princess Victoria, his eldest daughter and heir.

Crown Princess Victoria (40)

A change in Swedish law saw her becoming Sweden’s heir apparent at just three years old. If Victoria ascends the throne as expected, she’ll be the first queen regent since 1720.

But with this honour comes a lot of responsibility, and Victoria didn’t have an easy childhood. She managed to win her battles with anorexia and dyslexia to become the most popular member of the royal family, according to recent polls.

In 2002 Victoria raised eyebrows when she started dating her personal trainer, gym owner Daniel Westling (now 44). The king was allegedly dead set against the match but eventually gave in to his daughter. He granted the couple permission to wed, and they tied the knot in 2010.

The couple have two children, Princess Estelle (5), who’s second in line to the throne, and Prince Oscar (1).

Princess Madeleine (35)

After a broken engagement to a Swedish lawyer in 2010, the king’s beautiful blue-eyed youngest moved to New York to work for the World Childhood Foundation – and it was there that she found her prince.

The talented equestrian married British-born American financier Chris O’Neill (43) in 2013. The couple, who have two children - Princess Leonore (3) and Prince Nicolas (2) - and are expecting a third, live in London.

Prince Carl Philip (38)

With his dark good looks and penchant for fast cars and hard-partying, it looked as if like King Carl’s only son would live a bachelor’s life. That is, until he met former model Sofia Hellqvist (33).

But their relationship wasn’t without obstacles. Sofia had appeared in an adult magazine when she was just 20 years old, wearing nothing but her knickers and a boa constrictor. She went on to earn a spot on a scandalous reality show called Paradise Hotel and kissed “adult film” star Jenna Jameson.

Still, Carl Philip was adamant she was the one for him, despite the public scrutiny. They married in 2015 and have two little boys, Prince Alexander (1) and Prince Gabriel ( five months).

NORWAY King Harald V (80)

The only son of King Olav V of Norway and Princess Märtha of Sweden, King Harald ascended the throne when his father died in 1991.

Before he was crowned, he’d been secretly dating commoner Sonja Haraldsen for nine years, but his father refused to allow them to marry.

That is, until the then crown prince gave him an ultimatum: either he married his beloved or he wouldn’t marry at all.

Since this would mean the end of the monarchy, King Olav relented. In 1968 the pair tied the knot, and Sonja (now 80) eventually became queen when her husband took the throne.

The couple are famed for modernising the Norwegian monarchy, making the royal family more accessible to the media and public. The active octogenarian is known for having Queen Elizabeth’s sense of duty combined with Prince Philip’s humour.

Princess Märtha Louise (46)

She’s the king’s oldest child but is only fourth in line to the throne – after her younger brother and his two children. But the certified physiotherapist doesn’t seem to mind and she’s used her relative freedom to pursue her other passions. She’s never practised as a physiotherapist, but has written a children’s book, Why Kings and Queens Don’t Wear Crowns, published in 2004.

She also claims to be able to talk to animals and angels and started her own alternative-therapy centre to teach children to do the same.

Märtha Louise married author Ari Behn (45) in 2002, and they have three children – Maud Angelica (14), Leah Isadora (12), and Emma Tallulah (9). In August 2016, the Royal Court announced the princess and Ari were divorcing – the first divorce in the history of the Norwegian royal family.

Crown Prince Haakon Magnus (44)

While the Norwegian constitution was changed in 1990 to allow the eldest child of a monarch to ascend the throne regardless of gender, it wasn’t done retroactively – so Haakon still takes precedence over his big sister.

The dashing crown prince seems well-suited to his royal role, particularly with beautiful wife Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby (44) by his side.

While his father and sister had married outside the aristocracy too, Haakon’s choice raised eyebrows. Mette-Marit was a former waitress who had a four-year-old son, Marius, with her ex-boyfriend, convicted cocaine dealer Morten Borg.

But she and Haakon tied the knot in 2001 and have two children, Princess Ingrid Alexandra (14) and Prince Sverre Magnus (12).

Marius, now a handsome 21-yearold, quit public life last year to study business in California.