There were great, gaping holes of darkness within the coverage surrounding Meghan Markle and Prince Harry making their relationship public.
There was racism regarding the former actress’ mixed-race background. There was prejudice surrounding her previous divorce. Of particular concern to the Brits, there is the fact she is American (heaven forbid).
The backlash was so swift and jarring, the Prince himself was forced to issue a statement defending his lover and plead with the media to let her be.
But – as journalist Anna Byrne at the Herald Sun has pointed out – the turmoil Meghan, 36, faced wanes in comparison to the ordeal suffered by Mette-Marit, the Crown Princess of Norway.
Certainly, the Norwegian Monarchy is not as powerful as the British Monarchy.
Its duties are ceremonial as opposed to ruling, The Washington Post reports, but there is still a hereditary line to the throne and Mette-Marit is married to the country’s future king, Haakon Magnus, Crown Prince of Norway.
She wasn’t the public’s number-one choice, as Byrne describes in a recent Instagram post:
“As an ex-waitress and single mother with involvement in Oslo’s drug circles, the princess bride was a hard sell to the Norwegian public in the lead-up to her wedding to Prince Haakon.”
“Mette-Marit was even forced to endure a press conference where she tearfully apologised for her past.”