Line #8 Series/HarryAndCharles


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d0ea6ee8_6c9e_4b7e_b4c5_c562967a26f7_5.jpeg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:It's not called Tulle, Charles & Harry, no matter what you start thinking.]]
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4	''Harry & Charles'' is a three-episode miniseries written by Jonas Cornell, and broadcast by NRK in 2009. It deals with "Charles" (Prince Carl of Denmark, played by Jakob Cedergren) and his decision to become King of newly-independent Norway in 1905, his English wife "Harry" (Princess Maud, daughter of King Edward VII, played by Maria Bonnevie), and their relationship with Harry's lady-in-waiting, Astrid "Tulle" Carstensen (Laura Bro).
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6	It has a SpiritualSuccessor in the 2016 film ''Film/TheKingsChoice'', which involves Charles (now Haakon VII) having to make another very important decision in 1940.
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8	Has nothing to do with the modern members of UsefulNotes/TheBritishRoyalFamily with the same names, though they are distant relatives[[note]]In RealLife King Haakon was always known as "Uncle Charles" to [[UsefulNotes/ElizabethII Queen Elizabeth II]] (her great-uncle) and her father (Maud was his aunt), and was one of [[UsefulNotes/CharlesIII King Charles III]]'s godparents; in fact, according to the current Norwegian royals, King Charles was named after Haakon; his grandfather George VI enormously admired his beloved uncle's support and bravery during UsefulNotes/WorldWarTwo[[/note]].
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10	!!This series has held a referendum, with nearly 80% approving the following tropes:
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12	* AbusiveParents: Aunt Louise. Charles has a drunken flashback about how the punishment for spilling something on the carpet was being caned. To his mother, he later singles out his aunt Marie of Orleans as always having been kind to him, [[StealthInsult and pointedly doesn't mention anyone else]].
13	* AgeLift: In RealLife Alexander was just turning 2 at the start of the story's events and wore a dress at the time, as seen just above. He's played as closer to 4 or 5 to give him more lines and more to do (and there are no dresses).
14	* TheAlcoholic: Marie of Orleans, the wife of Charles' uncle Valdemar, is portrayed like this.
15	* AllGirlsLikePonies: True to being a British princess, Harry's introduced riding. We see a lot of her being an UpperClassEquestrian; it's one of her favorite things.
16	* BettyAndVeronica: Blonde sensible GirlNextDoor Tulle and brunette temperamental literal-princess Harry.
17	* BerserkButton: Charles does finally get sick of Harry's jealousy and accusations, but even more that she's unkind to Tulle and threatening to break the three of them up.
18	* BookEnd: Charles cuts himself shaving in roughly the same place Harry had a nosebleed at the beginning, but on the other side of his face.
19	* CheerfulChild: Alexander is not only adorable, but happy and good natured.
20	* ClingyJealousGirl: Harry draws very firm lines about exactly how much of Charles she'll share. Inverted when [[{{Hypocrite}} Charles gets jealous]] after she chats/flirts with Fridtjof Nansen.[[note]] To be fair to Charles, Nansen was a notorious womanizer.[[/note]]
21	* TheConfidant: Tulle for Charles... and also for Harry.
22	* DeliberateValuesDissonance: The homeless people clustering around (and being shooed away from) their apartment. The series takes place long before the current Scandinavian welfare state.
23	* TheEdwardianEra: Named for [[TropeNamer Harry's dad (!)]], who shows up as TheCameo, and is mentioned another handful of times; getting King Edward's approval through and for his daughter as Queen was very important for Norway.
24	* EmbarrassingNickname: "Her Royal Shyness", which followed Harry from England.
25	* EverybodySmokes: Portrayed very dramatically and artistically.
26	* GirlyGirlWithATomboyStreak: Harry has elaborately arranged long hair and an extremely-corseted figure, and she loves wearing pretty, delicate clothing and dressing up.[[note]]TruthInTelevision; Queen Maud was a fashion plate with a lot of her wardrobe preserved to this day.[[/note]] She also gallops, smokes, swears, hollers, bleeds, and rides her bike in front of Amalienborg Palace with exuberance, and then there's her TomboyishName.
27	* GreenEyedMonster: Charles gets very cold and glaring when he's jealous of Harry and Nansen, [[PsychologicalProjection and it's probably because he's already kissed Tulle]].
28	* GorgeousPeriodDress: 1905. Lots and lots of lace and embroidery and puffy sleeves. The men's clothes are quite stylish as well.
29	* GratuitousEnglish: They had a bilingual household, so there probably should have been even ''more''.
30	* HappilyMarried: Not ''calmly'' married, but Harry and Charles still probably qualify.
31	* HasAType: Sepia photography helps make this point. "Frank" Teck had very dark hair and eyes; Charles had blue eyes and fairer hair in RealLife, but one can be forgiven for blinking at the photograph Harry pulls out and wondering if that isn't him. (She clearly likes them TallDarkAndHandsome.) Also a minor symbolic point with Nansen, who looks nothing like either one -- and nothing happens with Harry.
32	* HeldGaze: Harry and Charles have a couple. They end up kissing after the first one; OvercomeWithDesire after the second.
33	* HistoricalBeautyUpgrade: [[https://i.pinimg.com/originals/41/41/12/414112abff9a883ed922c0d9c4400666.jpg Harry wasn't unattractive]] (she was famously stylish), but here she's played by the more conventionally beautiful Maria Bonnevie. [[https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d7/6f/47/d76f472a9ea7915dcfa0046350d005c2.jpg Averted with Charles who was quite handsome]], even if the 'stache can make it hard to tell, [[https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/5df5e899b0ebe7d44243f9d5/5e15d48136791a41bd445b54_ross-kolby-king%20haakon_queen%20maud_prince%20olav.jpg as well as Alexander from 1905, who really was that cute]].
34	* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Harry, Charles, Alexander, Charles' family, Edward VII, Fridtjof Nansen, Christian Michelsen, and a few more.
35	* KissingCousins: Charles' father Frederik[[note]] the future king Frederik VIII of Denmark[[/note]] and Harry's mother Alexandra[[note]] aka ''that'' [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfWindsor Queen Alexandra]][[/note]] were brother and sister. Interestingly, it just meant Harry disliked her in-laws even before she married in.
36	* LocalizedNameInANonLocalizedSetting: They goofed Harry's English referencing. "Mummy", "daddy", "Vicky", and "Francis" should be "Motherdear", "Papa", "Toria", and "Frank".
37	* LoveTriangle: Harry, Charles, and Charles' OldFlame Tulle, now Harry's lady-in-waiting and part of their household. Harry's dependent on her and Charles still has a great deal of affection for her, so even if she doesn't quite have a sexual affair with either of them, it's still a literal menage à trois.
38	* MeaningfulRename: Discussed and averted. To be more Norwegian, Charles becomes Haakon and Alexander (who protests) becomes Olav. Harry stays Maud. In a funny CallForward, she also brings up disliking the name Harald and discounting it for Alexander. [[UsefulNotes/OtherRoyalFamilies (Guess what her only grandson's name is...?)]][[note]]TruthInTelevision; apparently she told Charles that she would tell the bishop at his christening that the baby's name was Magnus. He worried she would do it. In a further moment of funny, King Harald's son is "Haakon Magnus" and his grandson is "Sverre Magnus" -- the latter just known as Magnus. [[/note]]
39	* ModestRoyalty: They get around Copenhagen on their bikes, for the most part.
40	* MrViceGuy: Charles is a very NiceGuy; calm, cautious, and thoughtful. And he loves Harry and Alex. And Tulle. And is just a little blurry on the "monogamy" thing.
41	* NoGuyWantsToBeChased: Downplayed with Charles. He certainly never objects to Harry kissing him [[note]]In RealLife he was ''definitely'' the one who chased her before she agreed to marry him.[[/note]], (except to seem affectionately bemused, if that even counts), but it's also certainly played up that ''he'' is the one who kisses the more demure Tulle. With Harry, it's also worth noting that the only time we see them (or anyone in this series) make love, there is no (initial) kissing; she's in her room (still fully dressed) and he's in the hall, looking at her -- so, very mild chasing[[note]] And yes, it's missionary sex and Harry is still [[OfCorsetsSexy trussed up in her corset]], with both of them clearly enjoying themselves, for the [[OvercomeWithDesire differing]] interpretations there[[/note]]. See WomenPreferStrongMen.
42	* ObnoxiousInLaws: Aunt Louise. She finally asks if Harry isn't coming to say good-bye at the end, and Charles gently tells her [[InsistentTerminology "Queen Maud"]] will receive her later.
43	* OfCorsetsSexy: Harry was one of the most-tightlaced ladies of the era, but seeing her being done up comes off as more painful than sexy. Double subverted when she makes love later with her corset and chemise on.
44	* OfferedTheCrown: Charles, from Norway. TruthInTelevision. [[ForegoneConclusion He accepts.]][[note]] With some irony, it meant he ended up becoming a king while his father Frederik and older brother Christian were still waiting for the Danish throne.[[/note]]
45	* OldFlame: "Miss Carstensen! My old flame." Lampshaded by an exceptionally drunk Charles.
46	* OneHeadTaller: Downplayed, but in RealLife Maud was quite petite and Charles was over six feet tall.
47	* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Tulle is introduced as "Astrid" once, in the second episode. Harry and Aunt Louise fight about this, with Aunt Louise disapproving and reiterating that [[InsistentTerminology his name is Carl]]. Even Tulle calls him Charles. Harry's real and official name is Maud, but that's barely mentioned.
48	* PimpedOutDress: They don't attend any balls, but it's still the Edwardian era. At least one of Harry's probably qualifies.
49	* PseudoRomanticFriendship: Harry and Tulle, mixed with how Harry was incredibly close to her own sisters and misses them very much, mixed with a couple of points where it seems like they might kiss, mixed with the Charles issue uniting them half the time and [[BettyAndVeronica getting in-between them the other half]]... Quite complicated, to say the least.
50	* RankUp: From a minor Danish prince and princess and their child to the King, Queen, and Crown Prince of Norway.
51	* RedOniBlueOni: Lively, impulsive, heart-on-her-sleeve Harry, and quiet, self-contained, still-waters-run-deep Charles. Tulle is another Blue to Harry's Red.
52	* RichBitch: Aunt Louise was the only child of a king, a very wealthy heiress -- and is this to Harry and more variably to her son. Harry makes a couple of these remarks to Tulle, [[SubvertedTrope but almost immediately apologizes]].
53	-->'''Harry:''' "You are paid to be happy!"
54	* RichSuitorPoorSuitor: For Charles. Tulle was a GirlNextDoor; Harry was a prominent and wealthy princess.
55	* RomanticRideSharing: An apologetic Charles finally tracks Harry down near the end, right before they leave for Norway, although he says exactly one word when he does. She hops on the basket of his bicycle for a ride home.
56	--> '''Charles (hopefully):''' "Darling...?"
57	* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Invoked in RealLife. Although they had a very nice apartment next to the palace, they got absolutely no money from the Danish government. Charles was an active officer in the Danish navy... and this causes problems since Harry gets lonely and unhappy while he's gone.
58	* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: When she's not ill, Harry's a bundle of energy and nerves. Charles is both much more restrained and more relaxed. Except the times when he's punctual and she's late...
59	* SecondLove: Harry for Charles after Tulle, played with in that he may still have crushed on her first. Charles for Harry after her UnrequitedLove Francis Teck.
60	* SharpDressedMan: Charles really knows how to rock a waistcoat and fancy neckcloth, and comes off as the sort of person whose clothes don't wrinkle.
61	* SpareToTheThrone: Charles for Denmark, which is why he's available to accept Norway's offer.
62	* SpiritedYoungLady: Harry is still this, despite being a princess and a mother, even after being married for almost a decade.
63	* StarCrossedLovers: Tulle and Charles can be viewed like this, since there was no way marriage between them would ever have been allowed, even if they'd considered it.
64	* StiffUpperLip: She's the British one, but he's the one who has this, though (like when he ''literally'' cuts it) he regularly veers straight into EndearinglyDorky. Might be why she initiates most of their kisses.
65	* TallDarkAndHandsome: Charles is all of that, and precise and elegant on top of it.
66	* TitleDrop: Before they leave for Norway at the end, their English friends in Copenhagen remind them that they'll always be "Harry and Charles" to them.
67	* TomboyishName: Harry, officially known as Maud. The nickname came from her father having an admiral friend, Harry Keppel, who was similarly short and boisterous.
68	* UptightLovesWild: Charles is even-tempered with a sense of humor, but by disposition and military background he's far more strict than Harry, who does quite a lot a technically ProperLady wouldn't do. He's not ''that'' uptight and she's not ''that'' wild, but when they're not disagreeing because of it, they truly seem to enjoy each other's differing personalities. Downplayed.
69	* UptownGuy: Charles is the son of the future king; Tulle was just part of the family he lived with during his naval training.
70	* WomenPreferStrongMen: Going along with NoGuyWantsToBeChased, Charles's cautious nature is presented to both his advantage and derision, but he's immediately and seriously threatened when heroic and dynamic Nansen appears, and Harry basically lampshades this one in his face (when earlier she had no patience for his self-derision). Also, she does seem to find Charles exceptionally attractive once the Norwegian referendum he suggested goes his way.
71	* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: Charles being involved with Tulle isn't supported by the historical record, and she [[spoiler:''didn't'' go with them to Norway]].
72	* YouAreWhatYouHate: Aunt Louise was an absolutely notorious tomboy in her Swedish youth; an only surviving child basically raised as a son. Her manners horrified ''her'' Danish mother-in-law. However, her marriage wasn't especially happy, so [[ViewersAreGeniuses despite the series going into none of this]], it's quite possible she strongly disliked Harry for basically having her cake and eating it too.
73	* YoungFutureFamousPeople: Little Alex ends up a king because of his father's decision. Plenty of cute little King Olav, before he was even Olav!

Context Series / HarryAndCharles