Jan. 27, 2026

Press Piles On Prince Harry, a Courtroom Security Scare, and a Norway Royal Court Case Escalates

Press Piles On Prince Harry, a Courtroom Security Scare, and a Norway Royal Court Case Escalates

A sharp-edged media day for Harry: Tessa Dunlop in the Independent skewers the “millennial prince,” while the Times’ Roya Nikkhah argues, “Admit it, Harry, you didn’t hate every second of being a working royal.”

We also have a Telegraph report that a “fixated” individual was seated close behind Harry during his High Court appearance, with a source saying, “There is nothing they could do; they are not the police. It’s a public building, and she has a right to be there.” Then the rumour mill turns to reconciliation, with claims King Charles could offer Harry and Meghan time at Balmoral—sources say William is opposed.

In the second half: Norway’s royal family faces a major court chapter, with Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Crown Prince Haakon, King Harald and Queen Sonja all having publicly acknowledged the strain as Marius Borg Høiby is set to go to trial on a wide-ranging set of allegations; prosecutors say, “This case is very serious.”

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Ah calorogus Shark Media. He hello and welcome to Palace

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intrigue game, your host, Mark Francis. It seems that Tessa

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Dunlop is not a big prince Harry fan. In The Independent,

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she writes, freshly pressed from the Californian sunshine. This is

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a man born so rich and famous he wears his

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entitlements like a magic coat, one perfectly tailored to meet

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his princely needs. As both the son of a king

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and the millennial spokesperson for a dispossessed generation who have

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taken refuge from a dangerous world and well being in

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identity quests if only they had Harry's money. In Harry's hutzpah,

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the Duke of Sussex is not an intellect, nor is

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he particularly good looking. He once managed to be brave

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and dutiful in a military story that is now old hat.

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But it does not matter. What Harry has can't be

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worked for. His asset is not a stripe on his

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arm or a grade in an exam. Know that Duke's

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secret weapon, the lightning rod that gives him the space

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to air the same grievances all over again, is says

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God given right to service his own agenda. He does

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not symbolically rule like his father and forgets the hard

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working royal stick that Anne goes in for. Ditto any

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save the planet efforts from the Prince of Wales. Harry

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understands that to save others, he has to save himself.

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Q the archetypal millennial prince, a man child who leans

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into an annual voluble overshare on the condition that we

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will watch and someone else pays for it. I'm wateringly entitled, yes,

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but what did we expect? After all? Harryers a homegrown,

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heavy combination of hereditary principle and generational grievance, with thirteen

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fireplaces in the Montecito Mansion and wealth beyond almost anyone's

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wildest dream. Harry's reality does not match his millennial peers,

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but his sense of grievance does. And there's the rub.

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For royalists and old school thinkers, it is infuriating that

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a man with so much, a duke who flaunts his

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titles and privilege, simultaneously weaponizes that entitlement to attack the

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very source of his good fortune, the House of Windsor

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and the press that has so doggedly emboldened its modern brand.

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It must have been bash Harry day in the British

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brass as The Times. Royer Nicker claimed in under the headline, admitted, Harry,

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you didn't hate every second of being working Royal. Royer writes,

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much of being a member of the Royal family is

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a performance on pallace balconies on overseas tours while hosting

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controversial heads of state with a game face on. Of

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all the royals I've watched over the years, Harry was

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best at winning performances and media stunts, ensuring maximum coverage

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for the family business and his own causes. For the

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most part, he looked like he enjoyed it. If Hygjinx

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and Jamaica sprinting with Usain Bolt on a tour honoring

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Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee in twenty twelve were performed under

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duress for the media, then we were all fooled. If

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the mic dropped video with Granny and the Obamas, which

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marked Harry's twenty sixteen in Victors Games in Orlando, Florida,

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was performed for the press against his will, then he's

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a much better actor than I thought. Harry says he

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just wants an apology and some accountability. But is that

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really all he wants, because watching him in court, it

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felt like there was another agenda at play that he

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wants us to believe he was never a happy prince.

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If his ambition really is to wipe clean the memory

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of a prince who once relished his role, he may

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soon achieve it. In the court of public opinion. The

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image of happy Harry is fading from view. But what

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a shame it will be if the once cheerful Prince

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who did so much good inside the Royal fold is

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forever remembered outside the institution as a disgruntled duke. A

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woman described as being fixated on Prince Harry was seated

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just meeters behind him in the public gallery during his

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High Court appearance last week, despite being known to private

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security teams monitoring threats against the Duke of Sussex. Prince

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Harry was attending proceedings at the Royal Courts of Justice

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in Central London when his private security personnel identified the woman.

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She is understood to be listed on a register of

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fixated individuals maintained by a private intelligence firm working on

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behalf of the Duke. Despite recognizing her, security staff were

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unable to intervene. A source told The Telegraph, there's nothing

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they could do. They are not the police. It's a

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public building and she has a right to be there.

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He is obviously always worried about his security situation. It's

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not ideal. The woman is reported to suffer from mental

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health issues and has allegedly appeared near Prince Harry on

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multiple occasions. Reports say she previously gained access to a

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secure area of Central London Hotel while Harry was attending

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the Well Child Awards last year. Two days later, she

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was also spotted near him at the Center for Blast

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Injury Studies in West London. According to reports, King Charles's

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considering a significant gesture of reconciliation by offering the Sussex's

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time at bow Moral, his private Scottish residence. A source

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told Rob Shooter's Shooter Scoop this is Charles's most personal residence.

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Offering Harry and Meghan time at bow Moral is an

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enormous gesture. It signals trust, forgiveness and the genuine desire

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to heal. The proposal would reportedly involve invitations to attend

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select family gatherings, though it is said to have caused

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division within the family. Sources suggest Prince William was opposed

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to the idea. An insider claimed William is strongly opposed.

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He believes it's too much, too soon, and fears it

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could reopen wounds that have barely begun to heal. By contrast,

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to the same sources said Charles Nose time is precious.

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It's about family, not protocol. The reports come alongside claims

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that the King may also be prepared to offer the

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couple accommodation at Highgrove House during a future visit to

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the United Kingdom. A source told The Daily Mail, Viney

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the Express, there's a good chance that they will stay

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at a royal residence during a UK stay that includes

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Invictor's events if the current thaw in family relations continues.

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More pallacy just a moment. The son of Norway's Crown

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Princess is said to appear in court next month as

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prosecutors expand an already serious criminal case. Marius borg Hoyby,

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the son of Crown Princess Mattie Marie, will go on

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trial in Oslow beginning February third, with proceedings expected to

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run until March fourteenth. He is now facing a total

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of thirty eight charges. Hoiby had already been charged with

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thirty two offenses, including alleged rape, abuse in a close

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relationship involving one former partner, acts of violence against another woman,

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death threats, and multiple traffic violations. Prosecutors have since added

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six new charges to the indictment. The most serious of

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the new allegations dates back to July twenty twenty, when

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Hoybe is accused of receiving and transporting at least three

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point five kilos of marijuana from Lawrence Gog to Tonsburg,

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where it was allegedly delivered to another individual. The additional

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charges also include two alleged breaches of restraining order and

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three further violations of Norway's Traffic Act. Weiby is currently

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free pending trial. Oslow's state attorney, Stirler henrix Bo, said

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there is no current basis for holding him in custody.

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He described the case as extremely serious, saying this case

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is very serious. Rape and violence in close relationships are

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very serious acts that can leave lasting traces and destroy lives.

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The fact that Marius borg Hoeby is a member of

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the royal family should, of course, not mean that he

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should be treated more lightly or more so than if

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similar acts had been committed by others. Until late last year,

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members of the royal family had largely avoided public comment. However,

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in an interview with The Times in December, Hoeby's mother,

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his stepfather, Crown Prince Hearken, as well as King Harold

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and Queen Sonja, spoke openly about the situation. Crown Princess

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Madame Marie, who has previously disclosed her pulmonary fibrosis diagnosis,

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rejected claims that she had warned her son in advance

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of his arrest. I think it's been quite a strange

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to be accused of such serious things, which, of course

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I did not do. The thing that perhaps upsets me

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the most is being criticized for how we've handled it

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as parents, that we didn't take it seriously. I find

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that hard. She said the family had sought professional help

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for her son, so it feels a little unfair to

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claim that we didn't take the situation seriously, because I

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think we have. She said, being a parent is the

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most vulnerable thing you can do, and I think all

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parents will recognize that there is an incredible amount of

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self blame involved. King Harald said it was impossible to

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prepare for what lies ahead, but now it is in

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the hand of the court, then we will take what comes,

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he said. Queen Sonya added, but it's not exactly something

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you look forward to. The Kings of the royal family

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would attempt to continue with business as usual while acknowledging

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the wider impact of the case. I'd like to say

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that we feel for all those who are affected. We

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feel for them and hope they will be okay and

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get better after the trial, he said. The trial is

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expected to draw intense public attention as it unfolds in

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Oslo early in February, and we will bring you updates

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on that case as it happens and they have it.

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If you'd like to email us O addresses the Palace

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Intrigue at gmail dot com. Please follows on Spotify, Apple

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or the Apple for your choice, and leave us a

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nice review from joining the show. I'm Mark Francis my

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thanks to John McDermott. This is Palace Intrigue and good

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names