THREE DAYS OF CELEBRATIONS PLANNED FOR NORWAY'S UPCOMING ROYAL WEDDING

July 11, 2001Jul 11, 2001, 11:00 PM GMT+1

Details of what promises to be one of the most spectacular and romantic royal weddings of recent years are beginning to emerge.

The celebrations to mark the nuptials of Crown Prince Haakon of Norway to his 27-year-old fiancée Mette-Marit Tjessem will kick off on August 23 and continue though to the wedding on August 25. They are expected to cost more than £3 million.

Instead of waiting for his bride at the altar, Prince Haakon will enter Oslo's Domkirke Cathedral at Mette-Marit's side. He will be attended by Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark who is to serve as best man, while Ms Linda Tanevik, a close friend of the bride, will act as bridesmaid.

After the ceremony, guests are invited to a gala dinner in the couple's honour, which will be held in two separate locations in order to accommodate the large numbers. Everyone will then move on to a reception in the royal palace's ballroom, which was recently restored specifically for the event. At 11pm, the skies over the city will be filled with an elaborate display of fireworks.

The ceremony itself will be broadcast live on Norwegian television, which plans to dedicate nine hours of programming to the wedding and related events.

The guest list for the event features some of Europe's leading royals and politicians, including King Carl XVI Gustav and Queen Silvia of Sweden, King Albert II and Queen Paola of Belgium, Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II and her husband Prince Henrik and Crown Prince Willem-Alexander of Holland with fianceé Maxima Zorreguieta.

Iceland's president, Olafur Grimsson, and the president of Finland, Tarja Halonen, are also expected to attend.

Last month the couple set up a humanitarian fund to mark their upcoming nuptials. Proceeds from the first year will go to fund AIDS and basic education projects in Africa, plus a Norwegian sports project.

The 27-year-old prince and his fianceé announced their engagement at the end of last year to a flurry of press interest, as the bride-to-be is a single mother with a four-year-old son, Marius, from a previous relationship.

When Prince Haakon marries 27-year-old single mum Mette-Marit on August 25, he will walk down the aisle with his bride rather than awaiting her at the altar

The couple share a hug in the newly renovated ballroom in the royal palace where their wedding reception will be held

Invitations to the nuptials have been sent out to all European royal families and representatives of government

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