RARE ROYALS

Princess Märtha Louise of Norway Says She Used to Sleep on a Pea to Test If She Really Was a Princess

She didn’t think she deserved to be royalty.


King and Queen Of Norway Celebrate Their 80th Birthdays - Banquet At The Opera House - Day 2
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In a move straight out of a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, Princess Märtha Louise of Norway has revealed that she once used the pea test to find out if she was actually royalty. Recall that in the fairy tale The Princess and the Pea, a prince’s mother suggests that his potential suitor will only be fit for princess life if she is able to feel a pea through 20 mattresses and 20 feather beds. Princess Märtha Louise, however, found that she was not able to feel the pea through her mattress—just like any regular non-fictional human. “When I did not get any bruises, I became terrified,” she said to Sweden’s Expressen newspaper, per Royal Central.

While the Norway princess didn’t pass the pea test, she has adjusted to princess life relatively well.

The reason, however, that Princess Märtha Louise wanted to see if she was a princess or not is because there was a time when she didn’t understand her special treatment and questioned if she was deserving of it. “I felt I was not good enough, did not understand why people looked up to me just because I was a princess,” she told Expressen. “I had not done anything, I had been born with that status.”

Over the years though Princess Märtha Louise has created a second career for herself, outside of her royal obligations, as an author. It was while promoting her latest book, Born Sensitive, which she co-wrote with her friend Elisabeth Nordeng, that the princess revealed her former self-doubt. In the book, she apparently opens up about her own highly sensitive nature.

“When you meet someone, it’s like having our nerves outside the body and feeling the ones we meet,” she told Expressen. “It’s a bit difficult in my situation when to mingle. Preferably, I want to ask what is the greatest dream of others, what keeps the person back. But in ten minutes you will not get that far, so it will be a lot of talk about the weather anyway. ‘Small talk’ is not high sensitivity.”

While her sensitivity might have its pea-detecting limits, she does live up to Andersen’s stereotypical princess sensitivity in other ways.

Astrid S, Norway’s Biggest Pop Star, Models the Best of Oslo Fashion Week

A graduate of the London College of Fashion, Edda Gimnes is known for her bold, graphic aesthetic. The designer mixes monochrome hand printed designs, made with her non-dominant hand, with voluminous silhouettes for pieces that are equal parts clothing and art.

Photographed by Nick Thompson, styled by Tom Broecker. Hair by Nikola Grozdic. Makeup by Linda Wickmann. Photo assistant: Ingrid Reigstad. Styling assistant: Sander Stanbekk. Produced by Yael Quint. Special thanks to Grand Hotel Oslo, Oslo Runway, thisispr, and Interfoto AS.

With an emphasis on denim and knitwear, Tom Wood is the ultimate in wardrobe staples. Established in 2013 by founder and creative director Mona Jensen, the brand intertwines it’s menswear and womenswear with a focus on comfort and relaxed silhouettes.

Astrid S wears Tom Wood. Photographed by Nick Thompson, styled by Tom Broecker. Hair by Nikola Grozdic. Makeup by Linda Wickmann. Photo assistant: Ingrid Reigstad. Styling assistant: Sander Stanbekk. Produced by Yael Quint. Special thanks to Grand Hotel Oslo, Oslo Runway, thisispr, and Interfoto AS.

Designer Siv Elise Seland, who founded the brand in 2006, takes inspiration from her Norweigan home to create key wardrobe items with an emphasis on the country’s craftwork, which is especially evident in the line’s standout knitwear.

. Photographed by Nick Thompson, styled by Tom Broecker. Hair by Nikola Grozdic. Makeup by Linda Wickmann. Photo assistant: Ingrid Reigstad. Styling assistant: Sander Stanbekk. Produced by Yael Quint. Special thanks to Grand Hotel Oslo, Oslo Runway, thisispr, and Interfoto AS.

Winner of the Costume Award, Norway’s main award ceremony for the fashion industry, for best Norwegian designer three years in a row, FWSS—which stands for fall, winter, spring, summer—is well on its way to becoming a fashion mainstay. The brand is best known for feminine, professional pieces.

Photographed by Nick Thompson, styled by Tom Broecker. Hair by Nikola Grozdic. Makeup by Linda Wickmann. Photo assistant: Ingrid Reigstad. Styling assistant: Sander Stanbekk. Produced by Yael Quint. Special thanks to Grand Hotel Oslo, Oslo Runway, thisispr, and Interfoto AS.

With an eye to relaxed shapes with modern touches, Iben designer Anh-Marthe Storheil designs for the independent women not dictated by trends. The brand places an emphasis on layering, with many strong outerwear options.

Photographed by Nick Thompson, styled by Tom Broecker. Hair by Nikola Grozdic. Makeup by Linda Wickmann. Photo assistant: Ingrid Reigstad. Styling assistant: Sander Stanbekk. Produced by Yael Quint. Special thanks to Grand Hotel Oslo, Oslo Runway, thisispr, and Interfoto AS.
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