The Norwegian government wasn’t as generous with its budget allocations for the royal family this year, but King Harald did get enough money to ensure a new roof over his head in the palace.
The Royal Palace in Oslo went through extensive and costly renovations during the 1990s, but the roof reportedly was left out. Now it’s said to be in such bad shape that it’s leaking in some places.
Repairs are supposed to start next year and the government has allotted NOK 112 million to do the job. Officials clearly hope the work won’t involve the same sort of controversial budget overruns that occurred during the palace renovation.
King Harald and Queen Sonja, meanwhile, received an extra NOK 307,000, boosting their annual royal grant (apanasje) to NOK 9.3 million next year (USD 1.55 million). That amounted to an increase of around 3.4 percent.
Their son, Crown Prince Haakon, and his wife, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, received a raise of around 15 percent for this year but that was pared to 2.6 percent for next year, according to newspaper Aftenposten. The government’s budget proposes raising their current annual royal grant from NOK 7.5 million to NOK 7.7 million.
Related story: King Harald costly for taxpayers
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