On June 23, 1991, in Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway knelt before the altar for a blessing - not a coronation, not a military ceremony, but a quiet religious act. Today marks 35 years since that day, and the Norwegian monarchy marks it facing a very different challenge from the one it had then.

What was revolutionary in 1991 - a monarchy that gave up the militaristic splendour of previous generations and wanted to be closer to the people - is today the norm. Harald then toured southern and northern Norway on journeys lasting tens of days, a medieval tradition symbolising a direct bond between the crown and the citizens. "To receive God's blessing over our work was a great source of strength," the king recalls.

But thirty-five years on, the idyll has cracked. The royal couple is in deep old age, Crown Princess Mette-Marit recently had a lung transplant, and the criminal charges against Marius Borg, the Crown Princess's son from a previous relationship, cast a shadow over the whole institution. The Norwegian parliament has even passed reforms allowing Princess Ingrid Alexandra to rule as regent when needed.

Monarchies want to look eternal, but they too age like all of us. Norway, with all its modesty and popularity, now shows that not even the calmest crown is immune to illness, scandal and time. The question Scandinavia is quietly asking itself is the same one all modern monarchies ask: how long will tradition be a good enough reason for an institution to survive?