Norwegianne.net

Category: Other bits

  • The Scandinavian Heirs to go to Greenland

    Last year, the three heirs to the Scandinavian thrones, Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, travelled to Svalbard on the occasion of the International Polar Year.

    They apparently enjoyed the experience so much, that they’ll be repeating it this year, in another location.

    From May 27 to June 1, they will follow up last year’s trip, with a trip around Greenland.

    They will travel on the ship H.D.M.S. Ejnar Mikkelsen along with scientist researching the environment.

    Visits to Qeqaertarsauaq to examine sustainable energy alternatives, to the University of Copenhagen’s research station, as well as the iceberg town of Ilulissat.

    Later in June, Crown Prince Frederik will return to join in the 30 anniversary celebrations of Greenlandic Home Rule, with the Queen, Prince Henrik and Crown Princess Mary.

  • King Olav making waves after his death

    According to this article a football team in Norfolk, England, could lose their rights to play on their home ground, 21 years after the death of the last surviving grandchild of Queen Victoria.

    I’m not sure if the clause mention King Olav specifically by name, or if that is an interpretation made. Because King Olav was not a grandson of Queen Victoria, but a great grandson. The longest surviving grandchild of Queen Victoria, was Princess Alice, the Countess of Athlone, who died in 1981.

    Out of the great grandchildren, King Olav was not even the longest surviving one. Carl Johan Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg is the only one of Queen Victoria’s great grandchildren still alive.

    What sounds plausible to me is that the clause intended the grandchild of King Edward VII, in which case it is indeed King Olav of Norway.

    It is a curious case, isn’t it?

  • What to do

     

    With the arrival of Le Petit Prince here in Denmark, the journalists are speculating what can he do with his life. Apart from being a prince and in the line of succession that is.

    The odds are small that he will get a full-time royal gig; with two brothers ahead in the succession, and two cousins ahead of them again, there should be plenty of warding for any kind of unfortunate mishap that might occur. The chances of Le Petit Prince one day ruling Denmark, or having major royal duties are slim.

    (more…)

  • Princess Marie in hospital

    TV2 News is reporting, and the court has confirmed, that Princess Marie was admitted to the hospital Sunday afternoon/evening.

    The princess, who is in labour, was brought to the hospital by Prince Joachim.

    The official due date for the birth was May 16.

  • State visit to Norway from Canada

    Governor General of Canada, Michaëlle Jean, and her husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond are currently on a state visit to Norway.

    The State visit has been rather dwarfed in the media by the outbreak of the Swine Flu in Mexico, and a kid who brought a rifle with him to school.

    The welcome ceremony yesterday took place at the square in front of the palace. The route from the Palace to the Norwegian parliament were lined with Canadian and Norwegian flags and banners. The Governor General and her husband are staying at Grand Hotel during their stay, and were picked up from there by the Crown Prince and Crown Princess and brought to the welcoming ceremony at the palace square. The national anthems were played, and as is customary, the guard was inspected.

    The welcoming ceremony was followed by a visit to the national monument at Akershus Castle, and a visit to Vestre cemetery to visit the graves of Canadians who died in the war.

    The governor general also visited the Norwegian parliament before the lunch at the palace.

    In the evening, there was a gala at the palace. King Harald talked about the common history between the two countries, and his own experiences during WWII when the royal family would visit the training camp “Little Norway” in Ontario, and holiday in Muskoka. He also talked about looking forward to the Olympics next winter in Vancouver.

    Pictures from the gala in the evening

    Today’s programme, is filled with various events, but includes a visit to the Astrup Fearnley museum for Queen Sonja and Mr. Lafond, a visit to the opera for the governor general, and a visit to the Intercultural museum for the King, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess and the Governor General. In the afternoon, the King and Queen, Governor General and Mr. Lafond will be in attendance at the event “Art Matters” at the House of Literature in Oslo.

    In the evening, there will be a return hospitality event from the Canadian delegation.

     

    The visit will conclude tomorrrow with a visit to Tromsø in the north.

  • Name change.

    There are things the King can help with, but mostly, he’s rather powerless. That was something a six-year-old boy discovered after he wrote a letter to King Harald.

    The boy was not happy with his own name, and wanted to change it to Sonic X, after the Japanese anime of the same name.

    His parents delayed sending the letter for a while, but their son wore them down. (As only six-year-olds can, I presume.)

    The reply from the King was that he couldn’t help with the matter. The reason for that is that to change your name in Norway, you have to be above the age of 18. And there’s little the King can do against that.

  • Skaugum going ecological?

    The Norwegian Crown Prince and Crown Princess reside on the farm, Skaugum, in Asker, just outside Oslo.

    The farm is amongst the 200 biggest in Norway, measured by production and agricultural support. They produce grain, feeds, milk and meat.

    With the current manager up for retirement, the advertisement searching for the replacement is looking for someone who can focus on making the farm ecological, keeping in line with Haakon and Mette-Marit’s focus on the environment.

  • Amalienborg, 16. April, 2009

    The Queen’s Birthday. And the whole family was out in full force. I did not actually notice Princess Isabella until I came home – she is rather small behind the bars.

    The balcony scene is interesting to see, year after year, especially when it includes the children. Prince Nikolai is tall enough to comfortably look over the barrier now, and his brother, Prince Felix has also reached the desired height. Prince Christian, on the other hand, is trying so hard to look over the barrier, whereas his sister, Princess Isabella has decided against trying and is more comfortable looking through the bars.

    Amalienborg Palace Square was stuffed with people today, old and young, Danes and tourists – as well as Her Majesty’s guard playing the birthday song. If you ever have the occasion to be in Copenhagen on the 16th of April, I sincerely recommend a trip to the Palace square, at 12 o’clock.

    This was probably the last public engagement for Princess Marie until the birth.

    For more pictures taken by yours truly: Flickr

  • Haakon and Mette-Marit at Bergtun

    Twittering the arrival.
    Twittering the arrival.

    After tweeting about their pending arrival, Haakon and Mette-Marit stopped by Bergtun Omsorgssenter (a home for the elderly) on their way home from the Easter holidays. There they took their time to talk to the inhabitants, and to have coffee and cakes with them.  Crown Prince Haakon got advice from one of the women there on how to be a good husband.

    The home is close to the winter cabin the Crown Prince and Crown Princess owns, which was finished last year. According to the local paper, the cabin has been used a lot this winter, and the Crown Prince and Crown Princess have often been seen shopping for groceries in the town.

    Unfortunately, Mette-Marit’s outfit didn’t seem too well constructed, as there was a tear in the back of her jacket. The tear was revealed as she bent down to talk to the kindergarteners who had shown up to welcome the Crown Prince and Crown Princess.

    Picture gallery from the local paper.