Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon has accepted an offer from the government to be vaccinated against the Corona virus ahead of schedule. The Royal Palace was allotted 11 extra vaccine doses and the 48-year-old crown prince is among those now poised to get a shot. The government’s decision to earmark 500 vaccine doses for Members of […]
Another ‘different’ 17th of May holiday
May 17, 2021
The Corona pandemic, combined with cold and constant rain, literally put a damper on celebrations of Norway’s national day on the 17th of May. With all parades cancelled and large gatherings banned for the second year in a row, the Royal Family and most everybody else could only hope festivities will be back to normal […]
Norwegians off for very long weekend
May 14, 2021
Hundreds of thousands of Norwegians could take off on an unusually long weekend that began Wednesday night and continues through Monday. That’s as long as the annual Easter holiday weekend, made possible simply because of how the calendar falls this year. It’s based around the post-Easter Ascension Day (called Kristi himmelfartsdag in Norwegian), which has […]
‘Atlantic Crossing’ crosses the Atlantic
April 8, 2021
Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) has confirmed that its dramatization of Crown Princess Martha’s role during World War II is “mostly fiction.” The NRK series Atlantic Crossing is now being aired on PBS’ venerable Masterpiece Theater in the US, where hundreds of thousands of Norwegian-Americans may not be aware that it’s far from being factually correct. When […]
King offers more encouragement
March 26, 2021
A casually dressed King Harald V sent some royal encouragement and sympathy to Norwegians struggling with the ongoing Corona crisis on Friday. Hundreds of thousands would normally be taking off on Easter holidays this weekend, but now they’re either stuck at home or hytter where they’re not allowed to have guests or traditional family gatherings. […]
War hero and royal spouse dies at 98
March 10, 2021
Erling Lorentzen came from a wealthy family, fought in the Norwegian Resistance during World War II, launched a shipping and industrial career in Brazil and married King Harald’s older sister, Princess Ragnhild. His family informed the Royal Palace this week that Lorentzen died at his home in Oslo on Tuesday, after a long and adventurous […]
King turned 84 on sick leave
February 21, 2021
The canons roared at midday on Sunday and flags flew on all public buildings, along with lots of private ones as well. It was all part of the official marking of King Harald V’s 84th birthday, but there were no big parties. That’s because the monarch is still out on sick leave that recently was […]
King quietly marks 30 years on throne
January 18, 2021
It’s been 30 years since King Harald V became Norway’s monarch after his father, the popular King Olav, suffered a fatal heart attack while watching the Gulf War break out live on TV. Now the world is in the midst of a war against a virus, halting public celebrations of Harald’s reign, so he and […]
King offers hope and some consolation
January 1, 2021
It was probably one of the most direct and news-related royal holiday addresses ever: King Harald V used his annual speech to the nation on New Year’s Eve to console and support Norwegians after the country’s worst year since the Nazi German occupation during World War II. The monarch wasted no time in addressing the […]
Broadcast council cross with ‘Atlantic Crossing’
November 25, 2020
Norway’s national broadcasting council unleashed some harsh criticism on Wednesday against NRK’s series about the late Crown Princess Märtha’s war years in the US. The council claims NRK and the creators of “Atlantic Crossing” took too many artistic liberties with history, although several members were supportive. The series has sparked sharp debate in Norway as […]
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