King Harald and Queen Sonja traveled to London to attend the lavish royal wedding of the heir to the British throne, Prince William, and his former schoolmate Kate Middleton. Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit weren’t invited.
Royal watchers in Norway were somewhat surprised that the younger generation wasn’t included in the British royal preparations, but newspaper Aftenposten reported that only reigning monarchs were invited. So King Harald and Queen Sonja were to represent Norway’s royal family at the wedding on April 29.
There was to be at least one exception from Scandinavian royalty, though. Since Swedish King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia declined their invitation, Crown Princess Victoria and her new husband Prince Daniel planned to attend the wedding in London in their place.
The Norwegian royal couple was flying over to London Thursday afternoon and were expected to attend a large party for foreign guests Thursday evening at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Knightsbridge, according to Aftenposten. Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, were the hosts but it remained unclear whether the father of the groom, Prince Charles, would attend. He opted for an extended Easter holiday in Scotland, delaying his return to London.
King Harald and Queen Sonja planned, as usual when in London, to stay at the home of Norway’s ambassador to Great Britain, at Palace Green in Kensington. It’s located close to the former residence of the late Princess Diana, the mother of the groom Prince William.
Views and News staff
