Why Are Crown Princess Mette-Marit's Sons Missing from the Norwegian Royal Family's Christmas Picture?

Mar. 15, 2025

(From left) Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Princes Ingrid Alexandra and King Harald for the Christmas photo in Oslo on Dec. 19, 2024.Photo:STIAN LYSBERG SOLUM/NTB/AFP via Getty

STIAN LYSBERG SOLUM/NTB/AFP via Getty

The royal family of Norway is the latest to unveil their Christmas wishes, but speculation has sparked around whyCrown Princess Mette-Marit’s sons aren’t in the picture.

On Dec. 22, the Royal House of Norway shared the 2024 Christmas photo of the royal family to social media. The shot showedKing HaraldandQueen Sonjaseated whileCrown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette-Marit and their daughter,Princess Ingrid Alexandra, smiled and stood behind the King and Queen, with a Christmas tree to their left and chandeliers behind them.

“Season’s greetings,” said a message shared to the royal family’swebsitewith the picture. “Their Majesties King Harald and Queen Sonja, and Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Princess Ingrid Alexandra wish everyone a very happy Christmas.”

The formal portrait was taken on Dec. 19 in the Red Salon at the Royal Palace in Oslo, where King Harald and Queen Sonja live, but the picture differed from years past because their grandson Prince Sverre Magnus wasn’t in it. PEOPLE has contacted the Royal House of Norway for further comment.

(From left) Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Princes Ingrid Alexandra and King Harald for the Christmas photo in Oslo on Dec. 19, 2024.STIAN LYSBERG SOLUM/NTB/AFP via Getty

Hello!reported that the new Christmas picture was the first that Prince Sverre Magnus wasn’t featured in, which the Norwegian palace’s communications chief said was for a simple reason.

“The prince lives in Trondheim and was therefore not present when the picture was taken,” Guri Varpe, the Head of Communications for the Royal House of Norway, toldDagbladetin an update published on Dec. 22.

Prince Sverre Magnus graduated from Elvebakken Upper Secondary School in the spring, and hisroyal biooutlines that he moved to Trondheim this fall. Trondheim is about six hours from Oslo, meaning that it would have been a long trip for him to be in the picture.

(From left) Princess Ingrid Alexandra, King Harald, Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princes Mette-Marit, Queen Sonja and Prince Sverre Magnus at Princess Martha Louise’s wedding to Durek Verrett on Aug. 31, 2024.CORNELIUS POPPE/NTB/POOL/AFP via Getty

CORNELIUS POPPE/NTB/POOL/AFP via Getty

Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s son Marius, 27, was also missing from the frame, but that is not unusual.Dagbladetreported that Marius hasn’t been featured in the Norwegian royal family’s Christmas picture since 2015, when he was 18. In that image, Marius stood next to his stepfather Crown Prince Haakon as Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Prince Sverre Magnus and Queen Sonja sat on a couch together, with King Harald perched beside.

Marius turned 19 the following January, which may have meant that he no longer had to pose for the family’s Christmas picture.

LISE ASERUD/NTB/AFP via Getty

Crown Princess Mette-Marit welcomed her son Marius during a previous relationship in 1997, and she married Crown Prince Haakon, the heir to the throne, in 2001. Marius does not hold a royal title or obligation to future duty like his siblings, and it wasannouncedin 2017 that he would lead a largely private life.

In an open letter published before her son’s 20th birthday, Crown Princess Mette-Marit said, “Marius has always had a role that has been difficult to define in the public sphere. He is and will be an exceptionally important part of our family. Marius became a symbol of the unusual choice we made when we got married, at the same time he will not carry public duties like his siblings. He will not have a public role and is not a public figure.”

LISE ASERUD/NTB/AFP/Getty

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Marius has navigated serious allegations in recent months, and wasreportedly arrestedin early August after allegedly acting violent toward an ex-girlfriend at her apartment. Two months later, he wasarrestedon Nov. 18 on suspicion of violating the criminal code “which concerns sexual intercourse with someone who is unconscious or for other reasons unable to resist the act,” astatementsaid.

He spent a week in police custody before being released, and authorities said then that they were investigatingthree alleged sexual offenses. No further information has been released.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go torainn.org.

source: people.com