Prince William44 and Crown Prince HaakonHe, 52 years old, faces the same challenges as future kings. Having built their families and settled into their roles as heirs, both men now care for their wives, who suffer from serious health problems. Kate Middleton And Crown Princess Mette-Maritwhile simultaneously coping with growing scandals within their royal houses. At the same time, neither of them has any support from their siblings, both have retired from royal life.
ยฉ Corbis via Getty ImagesPrince William and Crown Prince Haakon face the same challenges as future kings, balancing royal duty with deeply personal family concerns.
In many ways, the eldest son of King Charles III became a model for King Haraldheir, especially now that Mette-Maritโs recent transplant inevitably resembles the operation that led doctors to discover cancer in the Princess of Wales.
ยฉ Royal Court of Norway via GeFour princes at Skaugum Palace, residence of Haakon and Mette-Marit of Norway.
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Husbands before heirs
After news broke last week that Crown Princess Mette-Marit had undergone a lung transplant, the Norwegian royal court announced that Crown Prince Haakon would reduce and change his official commitments to care for her.
ยฉ Getty ImagesCrown Princess Mette-Maritโs recent surgery has brought renewed attention to Haakonโs role as husband and heir.
Todayโs heirs are no longer willing to put debt above family. Prince William set this precedent in January 2024 when he temporarily stepped back from public duties to support Kate Middleton during her treatment.
ยฉ Getty ImagesFor both William and Haakon, the path to the throne now involves protecting their families while preserving the future of the Crown.
William and Haakon belong to a generation that married for love and never questioned its priorities. The women they love, the mothers of their children and their partners both in life and in the monarchy come first. For previous generations of royals, putting their spouse above the institution was almost unthinkable.
Without your brothers and sisters
Another striking parallel is that neither William nor Haakon can count on the support of a sibling.
The collapse of Prince Williamโs relationship with Prince Harry has been endlessly analyzed in the media, chronicled in Harryโs memoir and explored in Netflix documentaries. The brothers, who endured the trauma of Princess Dianaโs death together and once promised they would always support each other, have now gone their separate ways. Harry severed ties with the British royal family, moved to the United States and no longer acts on behalf of King Charles III, although he retains the title of prince.
ยฉ Getty ImagesPrince Harryโs departure from royal life has left William without the support of his siblings that was once expected within the monarchy.
Haakonโs sister, Princess Mรคrtha Louise of Norway, also retired from royal life, although on much friendlier terms. At her fatherโs request, she retained her royal title, but was prohibited from using it for commercial purposes.
ยฉ NTBHaakon and Mette-Marit faced both health problems and public scrutiny while remaining central figures in Norwayโs royal future.
Although she no longer represents the monarchy or supports King Harald and Crown Prince Haakon in an official capacity, she remains close to her parents and brother. Although she spends part of the year in the United States, Norway is still home to her three daughters, and she continues to maintain strong ties to the country.
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Challenge royal relatives
Marriage to a member of the royal family is rarely easy. Adapting to life under constant public scrutiny and to an institution where protocol governs almost every aspect of daily life can be a huge challenge.
ยฉ NTB/AFP via Getty ImagesCrown Prince Haakon of Norway, Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Princess Ingrid Alexandra (center)
This is certainly true for siblings Prince William and Crown Prince Haakon. Both Meghan Markle and shaman Durek Verrett are Californians, and the traditions of the European royal family were largely alien to them.
Neither was fully prepared for what it would be like to marry into the future royal house, and the resulting culture clash quickly became apparent. Both faced criticism from both the British and Norwegian public.
ยฉ Getty ImagesKate Middletonโs health journey marked a turning point for Prince William, who stepped away from public duties to be by her side.
Ultimately, neither of them ever felt entirely at home in institutions that felt fundamentally at odds with their own origins, or in societies that in many ways remained more traditional than the United States.
Instead, after marriage, both forged their own professional paths. Durek Verrett continues to work as a spiritual mentor to Hollywood celebrities, while Meghan has left her acting career behind to create a lifestyle brand focused on documentaries, home goods and media projects.
Controversies that wonโt go away
The British royal family has long lived under intense public scrutiny. In the 1990s, the divorce of Queen Elizabeth IIโs children and the death of Princess Diana dominated the headlines. Today, the Epstein scandal has brought renewed attention to the monarchy of King Charles III.
ยฉ Getty ImagesPrince Harryโs departure from royal life has left William without the support of his siblings that was once expected within the monarchy.
Norwayโs royal family has also become embroiled in the dispute. The American financierโs connections have brought King Haraldโs widely respected monarchy under unprecedented levels of scrutiny.
In Britain, King Charles III and especially Prince William effectively suspended Prince Andrew due to his links to Jeffrey Epstein. However, in Norway, the royal family supported Crown Princess Mette-Marit after it emerged that she, too, maintained a close friendship with the financier.
ยฉ Getty ImagesCrown Prince Haakon has long balanced his role as the future king of Norway with his devotion to his family.
In a television interview alongside her husband, Mette-Marit said she had been โdeceived and manipulatedโ while admitting she should have looked more closely into the background of the man she considered a friend.
Around the same time the controversy erupted, it emerged that the princessโs chronic respiratory disease had worsened dramatically and that she was in urgent need of a lung transplant. Now that the surgery has been successfully completed, public attention has largely shifted from the Epstein controversy to her recovery.
ยฉ Getty ImagesCrown Princess Mette-Marit is recovering after a lung transplant, a major milestone in her long battle for health.
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Son behind bars
One area where the similarities between William and Haakon end is the case of Marius Borg, the son Crown Princess Mette-Marit had before her marriage to Haakon.
ยฉ HAKON MOSVOLD LARSENThe trial of Marius Borg Hรธiby: Inside the multimillion-dollar legal battle that rocked Norwayโs royal family
The 29-year-old man was sentenced to four years in prison after being found guilty of 34 felonies, including two counts of rape, domestic violence, criminal threats and numerous other charges.
ยฉ SOPA Images/LightRocket via GettThe Prince and Princess of Wales have presented a united front during one of the most difficult chapters of their public lives.
On the contrary, the three children of the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince George, Princess CharlotteAnd Prince Louisstill maintain an impeccable public image and enjoy wide popularity. Together with their parents, they create a close-knit family that represents the future of the British monarchy.