camelot23ca
Heir Presumptive
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2003
- Messages
- 2,180
When I remember the small flats I lived in during my twenties, occasionally in seedy neighborhoods, and then compare them with Marius's accommodations on the Skaugum estate I want to weep.
In their zeal to make sure that MM's eldest son was not made to feel less than his Royal half siblings, Haakon and MM went too far in the opposite direction and created a monster.
Making certain that he is well provided for is one thing, but where was the emphasis on his education and/or preparation for a career and life outside the Royal cocoon? He had too much time on his hands and now the chickens have come home to roost right on the doorsteps at Skaugum.
What a way for King Harald to be winding down the twilight years of his reign.
It’s a tricky issue, though, because I would say that the potential parenting mistakes people have mentioned from the start of the thread wouldn’t usually add up to this level of dysfunction. With indulgent, passive parents who overcompensated for perceived unfairness you’d expect to get a spoiled brat with a chip on his shoulder. Someone who wouldn’t be out of place with all the other spoiled rich kids in Oslo. Maybe not a kid MM and Haakon would want to showcase to the press and public, but also not one who would provoke a full on crisis.
I still don’t think this is a case of Marius getting to this point because of parenting mistakes. I think it’s more likely that Marius has had significant issues for a long time, maybe from the time he was a child, and Haakon and Mette Marit have gotten increasingly out of their depth as time’s gone by. It’s possible the magnitude of this situation will somehow shock them into seeing a better way forward, (which might involve taking an enormous step back and letting the Norwegian justice system parent Marius for the next several years).