Norway’s Crown Princely couple were in Kristiansand Monday to present the winners of this year’s Crown Princely Humanitarian Fund. The award is given to support projects to promote diversity in Norway, and to eradicate poverty and promote education abroad.
Kjell Inge Søreide / Scanpix
This year, the winners were the Missionary Alliance project in Ecuador and Foundation Shonglap project in Bangladesh. Salma Sultana received the award on behalf of Shonglap, while Wendy Josa accepted on behalf of the Jóvenes emprendedores.
Both Haakon and Mette-Marit gave speeches at the ceremony held at University College. It was the Crown Princess who told her story of earning money on her own.
“I remember so very well the first time I earned my own money. I was 14 years old and lived with my aunt in the summer of Langenes in Søgne, when I and my cousin rode to the parish center to pick strawberries. Then I realized for the first time in my life the true meaning of money, and not least how long it takes to pick a whole basket of strawberries,” said Crown Princess Mette-Marit as laughter spread through the assembly.
But then she turned serious: “I think some of the most important thing in the world today is to strengthen young people’s options. That young people will take education, be aware of their rights, the opportunity to use their resources, become independent and earn their own money.”
Crown Prince Haakon joined in during the joint speech. “We have a historic opportunity to eradicate the extreme poverty in the world. Entrepreneurship and innovation have an important role to play in the relationship,” he said.
“I think some of the most important thing in the world today is to strengthen young people’s options. That young people will take education, be aware of their rights, the opportunity to use their resources, become independent and earn their own money,” Mette-Marit added.
After the speeches, videos were shown of the winners at work. Following that part, Wendy Josa and Salma Sultana received their awards. The two women got diplomas and checks for NOK 300,000 to help fund their projects.
Jóvenes emprendedores means young entrepreneurs and is a new project that combines loans and training for young people aged between 17 and 23 years in Zonase margin ales in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The aim is that young people will gain their own livelihood in order to reduce the financial burden for their parents and most importantly for the young people learn early to work. It reduces social problems and give young people greater confidence.
With micro-credit and support from Jóvenes emprendedores, Wendy Josa established her own business where she sells cosmetics and skin care products from a catalog. The income she has from the sale fund, among other things, go to her medical studies.
As for Salma Sultana, her Foundation Shonglap program in Bangladesh is a one-year education for unmarried girls between 11 and 19 years who have missed school because of poverty. So far, 40,000 women completed the program.
Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway began her first day of school Thursday just down the road from the Asker palace where she lives with her family. Although the 6 year-old may be the future Queen, she was treated like any other student.
AP Photo/Scanpix, Stian Lysberg Solum
“We will follow our regular program for the first day of school Thursday. After the school has sung the song welcome to the first graders through a small program, with voice and some small surprises,” Beitnes Johansen, principal of Jansløkka, said.
Ingrid Alexandra was accompanied by her parents, Haakon and Mette-Marit, her grandfather, King Harald V and her maternal grandmother, Marit Tjessem. Every0ne stood in the rain for the welcoming ceremony before the little Princess entered the school with the rest of her new classmates.
“Ingrid Alexandra has gone to kindergarten here in Asker, and she comes into class with several of the children there. It is probably both safe and good, and in addition, she has lots of new friends here.”
Attending Jansløkka is a big break from royal tradition. Both the King and the Crown Prince grew up in the same palace Ingrid Alexandra is living in, but traveled to Oslo to attend a more elite school. It was quite a distance, and perhaps Haakon wanted to change that.
“I think maybe Haakon and Martha [Haakon's sister, Princess Martha Louise] felt wanted by the local community when they went to school, and taken into account when they chose the school for their children,” Se og Hørs reporter Kjell Arne Totland said to Side2.
Jansløkka was once attended by Ingrid Alexandra’s half brother, 13 year-old Marius.
Friday was day of ups and downs for Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II. First came the announcement that her daughter-in-law, Crown Princess Mary was pregnant with twins. Then came the downside when the Queen attended the funeral of a longtime friend of hers – and the Norwegian royal family – Countess Ruth of Rosenborg.
Claus Bech Andersen/BT.dk
Queen Margrethe arrived smiling at Skovshoved church in Klampenborg, though it is likely that smile was meant to hide her sadness.
On the contrary, Norway’s Queen Sonja and her two children – Princess Martha Louise and Crown Prince Haakon – looked very somber. Martha Louise reportedly wept during the service since she was close to Countess Ruth.
Ruth was married to Prince Flemming of Denmark, who had to give up his royal title because his wife was a commoner. The two became Count and Countess of Rosenborg.
Flemming was a first cousin to Norway’s King Harald V, and in this way, Ruth became close to the Norwegian royal family. She even attended the weddings of Martha Louise and Haakon, and the christenings of their children. Since 1948, Ruth had often spent Christmas with the family. Her last visit to Norway was for Queen Sonja’s 70th birthday.
Born Alice Ruth Nielsen in 1924 in Copenhagen, the Countess grew up in a wealthy family. She married Flemming in 1949, and had four children with him: twins Axel and Birger born a year after the wedding, a son in 1952 and a daughter in 1955.
Count Flemming died in 2002 at the age of 80. His widow mourned her husband, as well as the many royals she met during her long life.
Countess Ruth of Rosenborg was 86 years old at the time of her death.
The Crown Princely couple of Norway have put an end to farming at their home at Skaugum Palace in Asker, outside of Oslo.
Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Image/FILE
Over the weekend, Haakon and Mette-Marit auctioned their 48 cows because they were unable to find a custodian for their farm and they also found it economically unnecessary to maintain their livestock.
The decision lead to criticism from Norway’s farming lobby, saying it ends a royal symbolism for the country’s farmers.
“This says something about the conditions for farming in Norway,” said Brita Skallerud of the farming organization Norges Bondelag, questioning whether it’s possible to make a living from farming. She added that it was “very sad” that the royal couple were suspending livestock operations at Skaugum.
“They are very sorry for the Asker’s population that the operation be closed down. I have the impression that they feel a sense of belonging to the farm,” said farmer Torstein Alm.
Farming at Skaugum Palace has been around for three generations. Crown Prince Haakon’s parents and grandparents lived at Skaugum, and maintained the cow farm before becoming regents of Norway.
Haakon said in a statement that it was “with a heavy heart” that he had to sell his cows.
According to Aftenposten, the couple may try to rent out the land the cows used to occupy.
Tuesday was Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon’s 37th birthday. As every year, he celebrates his big day quietly with his family. But like every year, he invites the press to photograph and film his family, especially since it gives the media an opportunity to see his two children.
Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 6, and Prince Sverre Magnus, 4, posed with their dog, which they made sure did not run off. Although Ingrid Alexandra posed happily for the press, her brother was still uneasy and spent most of the photoshoot being held by his father.
Half-brother Marius Borg Høiby, 13, was not present for the photoshoot as he is vacationing with his own father, Morten Borg. Marius is Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s son from a previous relationship.
The press call took place at Vogt’s Villa at Little Island, where the crown princely family is currently on their summer vacation.
Norway is abuzz over its Crown Prince being found in the water near his family’s summer home on Monday evening. Turns out, Haakon had fallen overboard the Randesund while having a pleasure cruise.
While he didn’t suffer any injuries, Haakon is being criticized for not wearing a life jacket and for not turning the boat’s motor off.
“We were sitting at our hytte (cabin) outside of Tømmersto when we spotted a boat that was circling idly in the water,” a man from Mandal told newspaper Lindesnes Avis. “It was clear there was no one on board so we called the emergency number for help and headed for the scene.
“We feared someone had fallen overboard but when we got closer we were stopped by security guards and the royal life guards. They had pulled Crown Prince Haakon up from the water, and he was soaking wet.”
According to other eyewitnesses, Haakon’s boat continued to speed out of control when he fell in the water. He had to apologize for not shutting off the motor. After all, he did serve in the Norwegian navy as a captain.
It was a night of celebration as Sweden and royals from all over the world marked Saturday’s wedding between Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling. Just like her parents had 34 years ago, Victoria and her fiancè were a given a special concert at the Royal Concert Hall in Stockholm. Pop acts and classical artists played through the night as if it were a final hurrah before tomorrow’s big event.
First arriving at the Hall was the House of Bernadotte. When she got out of the car, Crown Princess Victoria wowed the crowd waiting for her. Beaming and radiating of joy, the Crown Princess waved as the people gave her and Daniel a four-fold cheer.
They walked up the red carpet behind her parents, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia. Bringing up the rear were her two younger siblings, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Madeleine.
After the Swedish royal family came the friends and relatives of the royal couple, and the Swedish government leaders. Then came the royals from all over Europe, plus Japan and Jordan. The royal guest list even included those who are from deposed monarchies, such as Romania and Serbia.
All in all, 1,600 guests.
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Europe
Once inside, everyone dined amongst each other before the big concert. Those who haven’t seen each other in a while were able to say hello, such as Denmark’s Crown Princess Mary and Spain’s Crown Princess Letizia.
King Carl XVI Gustaf gave a small speech during the dinner, thanking the Prime Minister for allowing the wedding to take place – after all, the wedding of an heir to the throne needs government approval.
“We can all see how happy and engaged the engaged couple looks,” the King went on to say. “They really… You can feel the joy and youth and optimism in their eyes. We can all feel the warmth and happiness also in this hall and during this day.”
At about a quarter to nine local time, all those in attendance were in the Hall. Everyone stood and sang when the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra played the Swedish national anthem. Even Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II, who’s mother was a Swedish Princess, sang along.
Right after that, the orchestra began to play “Party Song” and right in the middle of the stage, lights went on, illuminating two
REUTERS/Anders Wiklund/Scanpix
figures holding hands. Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling had made their appearance. They received a standing ovation as they made their way to two seats in the front row especially made for them. With that, the concert began.
It was clearly a joyous occasion for everyone in the Hall. Ballet was performed, the opera classic “Nessun Dorma” was sung – even pop and jazz acts played. The host of the event also poked playful fun at the royals in attendance. At one point, the group Jazz Divas of Scandinavia were about the perform and the host gave a nod to the Scandinavian Crown Princesses – Victoria, Mette-Marit and Mary. The women had a good laugh about it.
But the biggest act to perform that night was probably the 80s Swedish pop duo, Roxette, said to be one of Victoria’s favorite bands. As the band played “The Look,” everyone in the hall clapped along and a few – such as Norway’s Princess Martha Louise – moved their heads to the song. Once done, there was a standing ovation for Roxette.
SVT.se
The concert came to a close when all the singers returned to the stage and together sang Elvis Presley’s classic, “Can’t Help Falling In Love.” As they did with the Roxette song, many of the royals sang along.
Overall, it was an emotional event for everyone. Queen Silvia was seen wiping away some tears and it looked as if King Carl Gustaf was getting teary-eyed. Even Princess Madeleine looked red in the eyes – as did Queen Margrethe and Dutch Queen Beatrix.
With that, the pre-wedding events were over. Tomorrow comes the wedding of the year as Crown Princess Victoria marries her love – and a former gym owner from a small village in central Sweden becomes Prince Daniel.
Earlier on Thursday, Europe’s royal women and children were seen arriving at Storkyrkan Cathedral, the site of the wedding of the year on Saturday. The Crown Princesses of Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands were with their children, the future monarchs of their respective countries, to rehearse for the wedding of Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling.
Aftonbladet
Victoria will have many of her godchildren as bridesmaids and page boys in her wedding, and that includes the royal godchildren – Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands, Norway’s Princess Ingrid-Alexandra and Danish Prince Christian.
Svensk Damtidning
The practice took only twenty minutes, but Lars-Goran Lonner Mark, the minister who might conduct the ceremony, told Expressen yesterday that all the kids taking part in the wedding will have the chance to train together in the church before the Saturday wedding.
“It went very well,” said Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit on the exercise.
Then in the evening, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia held a private party for friends of the House of Bernadotte at Drottningholm Palace. Those friends also included the Norwegian royal family, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark and Willem-Alexander and Maxima, Crown Prince and Princess of the Netherlands.
Svensk Damtidning
When the Norwegian royals left their yacht, the Norge, for the party, Crown Princess Mette-Marit was stopped by her daughter, Ingrid Alexandra. The little Princess kissed her mother’s hand, and in turn Mette-Marit gave Ingrid Alexandra a hug.
Side2
Upon descending the ramp to get off the yacht, the Crown Princess had difficulty walking off in her high heels. But she managed.
Also attending the private party was Princess Margarita and Prince Radu of Romania. Supposedly, Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg was there, but there is photographic evidence.
Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark is also believed to have not been at the party because he is stilling flying in from South Africa where he watched his country play at the World Cup.
Just a reminder that SVT.se will be broadcasting the wedding live on Saturday, so be sure to log on and watch the most romantic event of the year!
The Baltic German state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania rolled out the red carpet for both its Chancellor, Angela Merkel, and her invited guests for the day, Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit.
EUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
About 1,000 locals turned out to see the Crown Princely couple and the head of the German government at the Old Market in Stralsund, where Haakon and Mette-Marit began their visit. Once they signed the Golden Book of the City at the Town Hall, the Crown Prince gave a speech – in German – thanking Merkel for her invitation. In it, he brought up how he and his wife honeymooned in Germany after their 2001 wedding.
“We have many good memories of our stay in Germany. Our honeymoon started here, after we had driven through Denmark by car. We were here for two days, before we went to the USA, something not many know about. So we’ve been here, both public and private several times and have friends who live and work here,” said Haakon.
After that, the couple and Merkel went out to meet and greet with the large crowds waiting outside.
A local fishmonger Henry Rasmus gave the couple a barrel of Bismarck herrings as a gift for their visit. He owns the only original recipe for this delicacy. “As the Norwegians understand something of known fish, I am convinced that I now expect a professional manner verdict on the quality of my herring,” Rasmus said, laughing.
Afterward, Merkel took Haakon and Mette-Marit on tour of Binz, a seaside resort known for its beautiful buildings, seaside views and for its pier which offers a view of the whole bay.
The day in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania ended with a boat trip onboard the MS Nordwind, which left Binz and sailed around the bay, which leads to the Baltic Sea.
Chancellor Merkel has invited quite a few royals and world leaders to her home state. The list includes the King and Queen of Sweden and former U.S. President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush.
But it is rare that the Chancellor hosts international guests. Usually the President does that, but when the Chancellor does the role, it symbolizes the tight bond between Germany and the country where that guest comes from.
Tuesday began Holland’s Queen Beatrix’s three day state visit to Norway, her first since 1986. The country’s royal family welcomed the Dutch monarch as she arrived in Oslo this morning, and as whole, they held a state banquet in her honor in the evening.
REUTERS/Berit Roald / Scanpix/ POOL
The Queen came to Oslo on board of the ship, the Tromp. Upon setting foot on land, King Harald V was there waiting for her. The two sovereigns joyfully hugged and kissed each other before Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit took turns welcoming their fellow royal. After that, the group got into a boat and sailed to their destination.
At the royal palace, the official welcoming ceremony took place. The Norwegian and Dutch national anthems were played, and King Harald and Queen Beatrix inspected the honor guards.
The next phase of the Queen’s visit was to lay a wreath, along with the King, at the national monument at Akershus, which remembers those who died in World War II.
Beatrix then went to Parliament to meet with its President Dag Terje Andersen.
In the evening, the entire Norwegian royal family – including Princess Martha Louise and Princess Astrid, the King’s sister, turned out for the state dinner. King Harald gave a speech at the dinner’s start, thanking the Queen for her visit and discussing Norwegian-Dutch relations.
“The exceptionally close relations between our countries are due to geographical, historical and cultural factors,” he said.
REUTERS/Lise Aserud/Scanpix
“The Netherlands and Norway are both staunch supporters of the United Nations. Not only do we share many views, but the names of our countries begin with the same letter – N. This means that our politicians and experts are often seated close to each other in a whole range of international forums, which helps to create an informal network.
“Our countries enjoy close cooperation on many pressing issues facing the world today. We both attach importance to combating climate change; promoting human rights, good governance and democratic values; contributing to the peaceful resolution of conflicts; disarmament; and fighting poverty.
“I hope that this visit will give Your Majesty some interesting, fresh impressions of Norway. It is a great pleasure for the Queen and myself to ask you all to join us in a toast to Her Majesty Queen Beatrix, to the people of the Netherlands and to the close and friendly relations between our two countries,” King Harald said before offering a toast.
Next, Queen Beatrix gave her speech.
“It gives me great pleasure to be able to make a State visit to Norway for the second time. Some years ago, in nineteen eighty-six, Prince Claus and I paid a state visit to King Olav. On many other occasions you and Queen Sonja have welcomed my family and myself with warm hospitality and enabled us to enjoy many impressive features of this lovely and varied country. On these visits we have become acquainted with the overwhelming beauty of nature and the self-assurance and vitality of your people. The ties between our families now span five generations, from my grandmother Wilhelmina to our children and grandchildren. It is a precious friendship that we cherish.”
The Queen also talked about Norwegian-Dutch ties and how much the two countries have in common. She ended her speech also with a toast.
King Harald and Queen Sonja will accompany Queen Beatrix throughout her stay in Norway. On Wednesday, the three will go to a gender equality seminar, visit the Bjørnholt Secondary School, and have lunch with Parliamentary leaders. In the afternoon, they will also attend a business seminar and a opera-ballet. For the latter, all of the Norwegian royals – Haakon, Mette-Marit, Martha Louise and Astrid – will be there.
Then on Thursday, Beatrix will end her tour with a trip to Bergen on the west coast of Norway.
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