Hello friends!
Sometimes the best are the miniseries, a bit longer than the movies and not too many episodes, so we can take advantage of some weekend afternoons or evenings to watch everything.
And by chance I found a series that I didn't think was what it was, because at first I imagined it was fiction, a created love story, but it turns out that it was based on real (and royal) events, about a love story, a fairy tale, about a prince and princess with a happy ending, about the Norwegian royal family.
And what TV show am I talking about? This TV show is called *The Commoner in some countries but the official title is "Harald & Sonja" and in Spain is "La Plebeya", and it's available on Prime Video.
Let's tell something about this:
What is this about?
It is about a real love story, that of the kings of Norway, Harald and Sonja (I think they are still the kings now, but much older). Well, the truth is that I didn't know that they had so many problems getting married when they met when they were young, and it has been interesting to know the story. Besides, it could have been a fictional story and it would have been nice too, for those of us who are somewhat romantic.
In this case, in the 50s, a young prince Harald meets a normal girl at a party with mutual friends, and they fall in love. That's what we call love at first sight, and the truth is that they make a good couple. But the problem is that he is the heir to the throne of Norway at the time, and after the scandals of his two sisters who wanted to marry two common men, not from the nobility, it seemed that the king, the father, could not allow the heir to do the same.
Everyone knew this, and society at that time was more reluctant to change, although it was slowly changing. But the press, as always, is relentless, and they began to harass her (this reminds us a bit of what happened to Lady Diana), and some citizens sent her insulting letters, because they believed that she could end the Norwegian monarchy just for wanting to marry a prince without being prepared for such a responsibility. Everyone had an opinion and everyone judged Sonja, so they kept their romance almost secret, or discreetly for 9 years.
And it's difficult because during all that time, there are doubts, moments when she can't take it anymore, because she believes that they will never give her permission, and she is wasting her years.
But he persists, he can't wait to talk to his father, he is sad and insecure, he only knows that if he doesn't marry her, he won't marry anyone, despite some attempts to match him up with European princesses, like Sofia of Greece (who ended up as Queen of Spain) or others. They were long and difficult years, also for his father, the king, who saw his son sad, and had to make a decision...
But despite everything, despite some temporary breakups, deep down they love each other, and when Harald goes to study in London, or when she decides to take some time away from the press in France, they continue to call each other and the flame of love will always remain.
The characters
The protagonists are Harald and Sonja, he is the crown prince of Norway and she is a normal girl, a seamstress who ran a large family clothing store in the city. They met through friends at a party and simply fell in love.
But she was a commoner, and suddenly she was under pressure from an unprepared society, from the harassing press and from a government that only thought about the implications it could have for the institution and for the country. Even King Olava, the father, did not know what to do, but he saw his son unhappy and capable of giving up his future for her.
Although the couple had the support of her mother, who in the world wars lost her husband and a son and did not want to see her daughter unhappy. She also liked that shy boy who sometimes came discreetly to the house to have dinner with them and spend time with his love.
Other characters appear: ministers, journalists, her other brother, her sister princesses, even European princesses, the English or Greek royal family. Before, people wanted to know about their lives, but now things have changed...
Anything else to comment?
[SPOILER]
It helps us reflect on several issues: on the one hand, the power of true love, which opposes everything and everyone and wins in the end.
Also the role of the press, so often so manipulative and destructive. Or the people themselves, who give their opinions and judge people without knowing them, in a radical and irrational way, and governments of politicians who only think about their own interests.
I am glad that it was a true story and that it had a happy ending, the actors who play the couple have chemistry, and it is nice to abstract from reality a little and dream of princes and true love, and happiness.
I have been telling so much. There is one only season, and I have watched all the four episodes! Take a look at it!
More information about the TV show and all the shared images here:
Original title: Harald & Sonja (2025-) / The Commoner or La Plebeya (in Spain) - IMDB: Harald & Sonja
