The incident reportedly occurred in the 1980s, when King Harald was still Norway's crown prince. Weekly magazine Se og Hør (See and Hear) reported that the couple had encountered severe marital difficulties, and that Crown Prince Harald had one of his top aides consult the president of the parliament on the subject of divorce.
The royal heir at the time wondered, according to the magazine, how the government, the parliament and the Norwegian people would react to a royal divorce, and what consequences a divorce would have for the monarchy.
Jo Benkow, who was president of the parliament and a royal confidant, declined to comment on any meeting with the royal aide. The Royal Palace, however, did decide to comment, even though palace officials rarely react to published reports.
"If it's true that someone from the Palace was in contact with the president of the Parliament, that's unknown to the royal couple," palace spokesman Sven Gj Gjeruldsen told TV2/Nettavisen Tuesday afternoon.
Kåre Willoch, who was prime minister at the time, claims he was never aware that Crown Prince Harald might have been considering a divorce. "This is totally new to me," Willoch told TV2/Nettavisen. "The government was never informed about this."
King Harald and Queen Sonja have now been married 38 years and they'll each celebrate their 70th birthdays next year. That's prompted the looming publication of an "official" biography of King Harald by long-time Aftenposten journalist Per Egil Hegge.
The magazine reported that King Harald "was open" with Hegge about the divorce issue, suggesting it may be revealed in Hegge's book, but Hegge has said he won't comment until his book is released later this month.
