The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are set to go on tour early next year. Kensington Palace has revealed that Prince William and Kate will spend four days in Norway and Sweden in January and February, while their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte will remain at home in the UK. William and Kate, who will be well into her pregnancy when she makes the trip, will visit the Swedish capital Stockholm from 30 to 31 January, followed by Norway's capital Oslo from 1 to 2 February.
The tour was announced earlier this year when the initial plan was for the royals to visit Sweden, Norway and Finland in November, but the trip was postponed because the Duchess was suffering from severe morning sickness. Instead, William flew to Finland solo in November, when he marked the centenary of the country's independence.
Prince William and Kate will tour Norway and Sweden next year
It was during that visit that the future King shared an endearing moment with Father Christmas. After bumping into Santa at a Helsinki Christmas market, William said: "I've seen you and I had to give you this letter." The royal handed Santa a letter from his four-year-old son Prince George, who had asked for a police car for Christmas, and also circled the option that he had been "nice" this year. Noting that George had only filled out one line of the wish list, William laughed: "He hasn't written down many requests, so I think one request is probably ok." The royal also pointed to the word "nice" and said: "He's been a nice boy, a nice boy."
Prince William and Kate's upcoming tour is being made at the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The British royals enjoy strong ties with the Norwegian and Swedish royal families. King Harald V of Norway and Elizabeth II are second cousins and the Queen's first ever state visit was to Norway in June 1955. The Windsors also have a close relationship with the Swedish royals through their shared ancestor Queen Victoria.