Staff at Norway’s largest women’s health organisation have seen a rise in the number of women reporting abuse and sexual assault at the hands of their partners ahead of the rape trial of a member of the royal family, saying they hope the case helps to “break taboos”. “Staff at our women’s health centres have seen an increase in women who make contact to ask for help and advice after experiences of violence and sexual assault. “In an otherwise democratic, egalitarian and liberal country the Norwegian royal family occupies a bit of a blind spot and has traditionally seen high levels of support. However, many Norwegians are now reconsidering their position on the royal family, who were previously viewed as a relatively harmless bunch,” he said. That is not fair on anybody.”But Torgeir Pedersen Krokfjord, a co-author of the book White Lines, Black Sheep, which published the drug allegations, said the royal family remained popular among most Norwegians and had emerged relatively unscathed.

Source: The Guardian January 01, 2026 14:21 UTC