Accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Elizabeth is making her first official visit to Norway since 1981, delighting royal watchers already in a state of excitement over the Norwegian Crown Prince’s upcoming nuptials.
The handsome Crown Prince Haakon Magnus, in full regalia, was at the airport to welcome the Queen and escort her to the palace, where his fiancée, Mette-Marit Tjessem Hoiby, was waiting along with King Harald and Queen Sonja to greet the visitors.
This is the first time the Queen, whose grandfather King George V was the brother of King Harald’s grandmother, has met Mette-Marit.
Haakon Magnus and Mette-Marit, who are due to marry on August 25, caused some consternation when their relationship was revealed: Mette-Marit is a single mother whose former boyfriend had drug-dealing convictions, which raised constitutional questions over her son’s position within the royal family, not to mention a lively debate over her suitability to become queen.
But in keeping with their modern approach, the Norwegian royal family has readily accepted Mette-Marit, who made her first appearance on the royal balcony two weeks ago and now attends official functions alongside her fiancé.
Elegantly dressed in midnight blue, she attended the gala dinner given in Queen Elizabeth’s honour, and the whole royal party appeared in excellent spirits as they renewed family ties and no doubt discussed the approaching summer wedding.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
