Norway’s Crown Princely Couple Brave the Cold in Finnmark

Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit were bundled up in traditional costume as they dealt with -13F temperatures during their official visit to the Sami region of Finnmark.

The couple received cheers from the Sami people as they exited their hotel for Haakon to make his speech, opening the tour.

“I think the next few days will be very rich memory for us, so it was for my parents when they visited Kautokeino. I have heard much about the journey they carried for 40 years,” said the Crown Prince, before departure to Ardni Siida on snowscooter.

Haakon also added that he wanted to see how global warming has been affecting reindeer herding, a tradition among the Sami, who are indigenous to Norway, Sweden, Finland, and northwestern Russia.

When the royal couple got to the Ardni Siida, the Crown Prince was to sit in the reindeer sledge, but the reindeer was spooked and ran off so that the sledge fell over with the Crown Prince in it. The Crown Prince was fast on his feet again, running after the reindeer, trying to catch up, with one thought in his head.

“That was to try to catch up to it. It got away from me, but some people who were standing there helped me. They knew what they were doing and managed to catch it, so it went okay”, a laughing Crown Prince said.

The Crown Princess also fell out of the sledge, saying;”Sledging with reindeer isn’t my strongest side, but when driving a snow scooter, I do like to go fast.”

King Harald and Queen Sonja was at the same place in 1969 as a crown princely couple. Since the King and Queen were there the open plain has been called Sonjavadda.

Friday saw Haakon and Mette-Marit mark Sami National Day in Karasjok. They were greeted by more Sami people, who got a chance to ask the couple questions.

They were asked if they though a Sami could one day become Prime Minister, to which the Crown Prince replied, yes, we have a minister who is Sami now and it is nothing that stands in the way of anyone regardless of their heritage to hold high positions in politics.

A journalist also asked weather Princess Ingrid Alexandra will learn to speak Sami. To that the Crown Prince said, “That is not a language that us taught officially in the Oslo schools. If it were to happen it would have to happen privately.”

The Crown Princess said, laughing, that they made no promises. She also said she thinks the Sami language is a very beautiful one, the sound of it is very beautiful and that is an inspiration to learn more of it.

In fact, Mette-Marit spoke some Sami during her visit, and the local people were very impressed with it.

In addition, there was more laughter going on as it was revealed to Crown Prince Haakon that he was wearing his traditional Sami costume wrong. One of his hats had a tassle on the wrong side, meaning he was not married and single!