Our King. Our Grandfather. Our Constant.

Hey, People of the World ❤️

Today has been a quiet day.

I have been struggling with nausea for the last three days, and honestly, I have no idea why exactly. But yeah... that's where we're at.

Still, I forced myself to go to my newly started therapy swimming in the heated pool today. It's a group I've been placed in, and somehow I felt it would be rude not to show up.

And besides... I didn't feel that sick.

Not really.

Just... nauseous.

Okay, okay. Maybe it was worse than I wanted to admit 🙄🙄🙈🙈

Today's session included strength exercises and pulse exercises, and with my knee and everything else going on, I honestly wondered how that was going to work out. But I survived.

Because apparently, I am a natural mermaid after all🧜‍♀️😂

But apart from that, I have been emotional all day.

Because of the news about King Harald.

The King of Norway is seriously ill.

And isn't it strange how we can feel so deeply about someone we don't personally know? Someone we've never sat down and had coffee with. Someone who has no idea who we are individually.

And yet... it can feel like we know them.

For me, King Harald has always felt a little bit like Norway's safe and steady grandfather.

A constant.

A familiar face through decades of change.

A man who has been there through sorrow and joy with his people. Through celebrations and tragedies. Through difficult times and beautiful moments.

And he has always felt so incredibly human.

Yes, he is our King. But somehow, he has never felt distant.

He has laughed with his people. Cried with his people. Shown emotions publicly. Shown love. Compassion. Humour. And most importantly, he has shown us who he is.

One of the speeches that has stayed with me the most is his famous speech about Norway.

That Norway is girls who love girls.

Boys who love boys.

Girls and boys who love each other.

Men and women who love each other.

People of different religions.

Different skin colours.

Different backgrounds.

Different lives.

But still...

One people.

Norway.

That speech meant something. It still means something.

Because he didn't speak about a perfect Norway where everyone is the same.

He spoke about a Norway where we belong because we are different.

I honestly cannot think of another royal who has shown himself to be quite like King Harald. So jovial. So down to earth. So wonderfully funny. With such a big heart for his people.

A King who has never seemed afraid to be human in front of the world.

And maybe that is why today's news hurts.

Because suddenly, that safe and steady grandfather feels vulnerable.

Human.

Fragile.

And tonight, I find myself hoping with all my heart that I won't wake up tomorrow to the news that we have lost him.

Of course, we all know that nobody lives forever. And King Harald has struggled with his health for quite some time. He has been admitted to hospital several times over the past years and months.

But this time...

The words feel different.

They have never spoken about his health quite like this before.

They have said it is serious.

Severe.

And those words are frightening.

So tonight, I am simply hoping.

Hoping that the doctors can help him.

Hoping they can give him more time.

More time with Queen Sonja.

More time with his family.

More time with Norway.

Because somehow, even though most of us have never met him...

It feels like we are not quite ready to say goodbye to our grandfather yet.

❤️🇳🇴

- Merry -