Constitutional and Dynastic Matters in the Norwegian Monarchy


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Nettavisen about Durek's possibility to get a diplomatic passport
It is an absolute requirement to be a Norwegian citizen to obtain a diplomatic passport.
Nettavisen has tried to contact Verrett and ask if he plans to apply for Norwegian citizenship, but Durek has not answered yet.
Nettavisen's royal house expert Tove Taalesen:
- I take it as a matter of course that he will apply for citizenship when he has the opportunity. He has married into the most Norwegian of Norwegians. He has hijacked the princess and half the kingdom, and I see it as natural that he will also apply for Norwegian citizenship.
If Verrett were to become a Norwegian citizen, it is not the case that he will automatically receive a diplomatic passport. It will still be up to the Royal Household if they wish to send an official request to the UDI where they expressly justify the issue of an official passport.
I am not familiar with Norwegian nationality law, but, in other countries, eligibility to apply for citizenship normally takes a long time (as in several years) and requires becoming a permanent resident first. Will Durek be fast-tracked for Norwegian citizenship if he decides to pursue it? Any clarification is welcome.
 
I am not familiar with Norwegian nationality law, but, in other countries, eligibility to apply for citizenship normally takes a long time (as in several years) and requires becoming a permanent resident first. Will Durek be fast-tracked for Norwegian citizenship if he decides to pursue it? Any clarification is welcome.

There is a comment from a spokesman for the Directorate of Immigration in the article, which sounds rather vague to me:

As a starting point, one needs to fulfill the ordinary requirements in the Citizenship Act. If the conditions for acquisition of Norwegian citizenship are not met, in every case we will always conduct an assessment as to whether there are special compelling reasons which make it nevertheless appropriate to approve the application. Other than that, there are no specific rules in the Citizenship Act that regulate occasions when a foreign citizen marries into the Norwegian royal family.​

The ordinary requirements to acquire a Norwegian permanent residence permit or Norwegian citizenship can be found on the Directorate's website.

 
There is a comment from a spokesman for the Directorate of Immigration in the article, which sounds rather vague to me:

As a starting point, one needs to fulfill the ordinary requirements in the Citizenship Act. If the conditions for acquisition of Norwegian citizenship are not met, in every case we will always conduct an assessment as to whether there are special compelling reasons which make it nevertheless appropriate to approve the application. Other than that, there are no specific rules in the Citizenship Act that regulate occasions when a foreign citizen marries into the Norwegian royal family.​

The ordinary requirements to acquire a Norwegian permanent residence permit or Norwegian citizenship can be found on the Directorate's website.


The statement by the Directorate of Immigration is indeed vague, but the spokesman is not ruling out that a fast-track naturalization procedure may be considered for Durek or, in general, for foreigners who marry into the Royal Family.

If I am not mistaken, both Máxima Zorreguieta and Mary Donaldson had the benefit of fast-track naturalization, respectively in the Netherlands and in Denmark. By contrast, Meghan Markle apparently would have to comply with the normal requirements in British nationality law to become a British citizen, which, for foreigners who are married to a British citizen, would now take at least 5 years if I understand it correctly, and, of course, also require passing a Life in the UK test and then taking the mandatory oath of allegiance to the King and the pledge of citizenship.

I wonder how the Norwegian public would feel about Durek being granted a special exemption to become a Norwegian citizen without having met the usual requirements under the Citizenship Act. Would that be frowned upon as a special privilege, or would they find it acceptable or natural for someone who had married into the Royal Family?

EDIT: Although DV is apparently no longer considered an official member of the Royal Family based on the changes made to the the Royal House website, the distinction between the Royal House, the Royal Family, and the King's extended family may not be clear to the public in Norway and they may still see DV as a member of the Royal Family anyway as Princess Märtha-Louise's husband.
 
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The difference between Máxima and Mary is that they married the future king. Did Alexandra and Marie also get fast-tracked in Denmark? A difference between them and Durek is of course that they started to represent the royal family (as did Meghan, so in her case, it was always weird to me that she represented the UK -including abroad- while being a US citizen only). Another example would be Chris who was offered but was not interested in representing the Swedish royal family (becoming a duke) - and also declined Swedish citizenship (which would have been tied to that).
 
I would guess that being a committed felon should exclude him form the citizenship process, no matter who the spouse is. Or can marry an Norwegian commoner confer the right to citizenship on a felon, too? At the moment, European politicians all struggle to get felons out of their country against the asylum rules in that country, I can't see that Norwegians would welcome the ex-felon to their country.
 
I would guess that being a committed felon should exclude him form the citizenship process, no matter who the spouse is. Or can marry an Norwegian commoner confer the right to citizenship on a felon, too? At the moment, European politicians all struggle to get felons out of their country against the asylum rules in that country, I can't see that Norwegians would welcome the ex-felon to their country.
You make an excellent point. I am not familiar with the immigration laws of Norway, but, indeed in many countries, having a criminal record may exclude you from being eligible for a visa or, later, for permanent residency or naturalization. In the best case scenario, even if it does not automatically disqualify you, it can make the process far more complicated.
 
I would guess that being a committed felon should exclude him form the citizenship process, no matter who the spouse is. Or can marry an Norwegian commoner confer the right to citizenship on a felon, too? At the moment, European politicians all struggle to get felons out of their country against the asylum rules in that country, I can't see that Norwegians would welcome the ex-felon to their country.

No, having a criminal record is not an absolute bar to Norwegian citizenship or permanent residency, though there can be an extended waiting period.


The difference between Máxima and Mary is that they married the future king. Did Alexandra and Marie also get fast-tracked in Denmark? A difference between them and Durek is of course that they started to represent the royal family (as did Meghan, so in her case, it was always weird to me that she represented the UK -including abroad- while being a US citizen only). Another example would be Chris who was offered but was not interested in representing the Swedish royal family (becoming a duke) - and also declined Swedish citizenship (which would have been tied to that).

Yes, the wives of Prince Joachim of Denmark were fast-tracked.


In Sweden, Chris O'Neill was offered the choice of being a prince (and presumably duke as well) and full-time working royal or remaining a private citizen. As he chose the latter option, we do not know whether he would have been fast-tracked if he had become a prince.

 
For the first time since 1905, Norway has two adult generations of heirs to the throne: Crown Prince Haakon and Princess Ingrid Alexandra.
But according to the constitution, only the heir to the throne can step in as regent if King Harald is on sick leave or travelling. If the crown prince can't act as a substitute, the government acts as head of state.
- In the vast majority of cases, this will be completely unproblematic. But we can get into situations where the government is dissolved or has to be reformed. Then it will be very unfortunate that it is the government itself that chooses its own successors, says Sverre Myrli.
Now he and five other representatives of the Storting want to change the Constitution so that Ingrid Alexandra can also act as regent. The proposal was put forward for the first time in the Storting on Monday.
 
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