Norway: Funeral service of King Olav V 30 January 1991. Guest list

King Olav V, 1957. Photo: Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

King Olav V of Norway died at Kongsseteren, Oslo on Thursday 17 January 1991, 87 years old. The funeral service took place at Oslo domkirke (Oslo Cathedral) on Wednesday 30 January 1991.

Yesterday I replied to a question about the guests at the funeral in the formu Nobiliana and thought it would make sense to publish my compiled list here too. Please note that the complete list was never published in any newspapers as far as I know. I might get a copy if I asked the information department at the Royal Palace. but as they have their hands tied up at present with preparing the funeral service for King Olav's son King Harald V next Wednesday, I think the list I have compiled contain the most important names for those interested in royalty.

Royal or presidential heads of state, other royals and dignitaries as well as ambassadors from as many as 103 nations were represented at the funeral. Obviously the list would be too long and tiresome if I should list everyone present.

The list is based on newspapers reports, mainly Aftenposten, VG and Dagbladet, from the days around the funeral. The service was officiated by Bishop of Oslo, Andreas Aarflot.

There was a reception at the Royal Palace after the funeral service. In the evening King Harald and Queen Sonja hosted a dinner for selected guests at Skaugum in Asker.

Monarchies

Norway

King Harald V
Queen Sonja

Crown Prince Haakon

Princess Märtha Louise
Princess Ragnhild, Mrs. Lorentzen

Erling Lorentzen

Princess Astrid, Mrs. Ferner

Johan Martin Ferner

There were also members of the Haraldsen, Lorentzen (except for Ingeborg and Paul Ribeiro) and Ferner families, as well as friends of King Olav and of King Harald and Queen Sonja. Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland and President of the Storting, Jo Benkow, were present together with other politicians and representatives of the official Norway.

Belgium

King Baudouin
Queen Fabiola

Canada

Governor General of Canada, Ramon Hnatyshyn

Denmark

Queen Margrethe
Prince Henrik
Prince Joachim
Queen Ingrid
Count Flemming and Countess Ruth of Rosenborg
Count Christian and Countess Anne Dorthe of Rosenborg
Prime Minister Poul Schlüter

(Crown Prince Frederik stayed in Denmark to act as regent.)

Japan

Crown Prince Naruhito

Kuwait

Minister of education, Ali Abdullah Al-Shamlan (i.e. not a member of the ruling family)

Lesotho

Colonel Molise Mokete (I don't think that belonged to the royal family)

Liechtenstein

Prince Hans-Adam II

Luxembourg

Grand Duke Jean
Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte

Monaco

Prince Albert

The Netherlands

Queen Beatrix
Princess Juliana

Spain

King Juan Carlos
Queen Sofia
The Count of Barcelona (the King's father)

Swaziland

Prince Obed Dlamini, Prime Minister

(Swaziland changed its name to Eswatini in 2018.)

Sweden

King Carl Gustaf
Queen Silvia
Prince Bertil and Princess Lilian

Princess Désirée, Baroness Silfverschiöld 

Baron (Friherra) Niclas Silfverschiöld

Princess Christina Mrs. Magnuson 

Tord Magnuson

Prince Carl Bernadotte (uncle of King Harald V)

Princess Kristine Bernadotte
Madeleine Bernadotte Kogevinas

Nicholas Kogevinas

Prime Minister Ingvar Carlsson

Thailand

Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn

United Kingdom

The Prince of Wales (Prince Charles)
The Princess Royal (Princess Anne)
Lady Elizabeth Anson (stepdaughter of Prince Georg of Denmark)
Lady Alexandra Clare Carnegie

David Charles Carnegie, Earl of Macduff

Former monarchies

Greece

King Constantine II
Queen Anne-Marie

Romania

King Michael
Queen Anne

(The blog The Royal Watcher writes that a woman photographed together with Crown Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia and the Count of Barcelona was "the Princess of Hanover", which at the time would be Princess Chantal, then married to Prince Ernst August of Hannover, but it is difficult to know as the photo is not that good. I am not ruling it out, but no newspapers mentioned her in their coverage.)

Yugoslavia

Crown Prince Alexander

Republics

Botswana 

President Quett Masire

Cameroon

President Paul Biya

Czechoslovakia

Chairman of the Federal Assembly, Alexander Dubček

Finland

President Mauno Koivisto
First Lady Tellervo Koivisto, née Kankaanranta

France 

Prime Minister Michel Rocard

Germany

President Richard von Weizsäcker

Hungary

Deputy speaker of the national assembly, Alajos Dornbach

Iceland

President Vigdis Finnbogadóttir

Ireland

President Mary Robinson

Malta

President Ċensu Tabone 

First lady Maria Tabone, née Wirth

Mauretania

Minister of Industry, Boulla Ould Mogueya

Portugal

President Mario Soares

The Soviet Union

Vice President Gennady Yanayev

Tanzania

2nd Vice President Salmin Amour 

USA

Second Lady Marilyn Quayle 

(The Vice President, Dan Quayle, got delayed and missed the funeral service.)

Yugoslavia

President Borislav Jovic

Zambia

President Kenneth Kaunda

The article was updated on 1 September 2026 at 22:07 (a few names added, cf. a contribution to the Nobiliana forum based om the book "Dronningen vi ikke fikk" by Trond Norén Isaksen. Last time updated on 2 September 2026 at 10:27 (incorrect name spelling).

Norway: Queen Sonja to have a pacemaker implanted

The Norwegian Royal Court announced on Sunday 12 January 2025 that Queen Sonja of Norway the same day had been admitted to Lillehammer Hospital for observation after experiencing heart fibrillation while skiing. Her situation was not regarded as serious, and she was discharged the next day. By then her heart rate had gone back to normal.

The court announced today that Queen Sonja was to be admitted to Rikshospitalet (the National Hospital) in Oslo on Wednesday 15 January in order to get a pacemaker implanted the day after. She is expected to remain in hospital a day or two after the procedure has taken place.

The Norwegian Royal Court. Annual Report 2023

The Norwegian Royal Court's annual report for 2023 was published on 18 April 2024. As the Royal Court writes on its website, the report "provides an account of the official activities of the Royal Family and the operation of the Court during the previous year" and "is intended to provide better information about and increase understanding of the activities of the Royal House of Norway and the Royal Court". As I write almost every year when I comment on the annual report, the publication is a great compensation for the lack of the former royal yearbooks. You get a very good summary of the activities of the royal family during the year in question, and  in addition you get lots of great pictures and statistics.

The Royal Court has provided the following summary of the report:

Annual report for 2023

The activities of the Royal House of Norway over the course of the year are closely aligned with the current situation in the country. The visits by the members of the Royal Family to 47 municipalities, official visits to five European countries, participation in a wide array of events together with the Norwegian Armed Forces and a focus on national security and preparedness both show what is essential for Norway and demonstrate the commitment of the Royal Family.

In 2023, members of the Royal Family continued to meet people throughout Norway – at schools, at new start-ups and traditional industrial companies, in museums and churches, at primary industry businesses, at music and drama festivals, at sporting events. They also visited with many of the people who experienced the devastation of Storm Hans in August.

Activities in 2023 were framed by the security situation in Europe. The King and the Crown Prince carried out a number of activities and visits with the Norwegian Armed Forces. The visit of the US aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to Oslo in May, and of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the Palace in December, both point to the serious events taking place in the world at large, and the importance of constructive cooperation with trusted allies. Internationally, the Royal Family represented Norway in Denmark, the UK, France, Sweden and Germany. Topics highlighted during these visits included the green transition, defence and industrial development and cooperation in the cultural sphere.

The year also held milestone events for the Royal Family. In 2023 the Crown Prince and Crown Princess both celebrated their 50th birthdays. They wanted to mark the occasion by celebrating Norway and the Norwegian sense of community by acknowledging the many people who help to make Norway what it is. They spent the year travelling to different places in Norway and in August they invited 370 guest from across the country to a party in the Courtyard of the Royal Palace.

Annual accounts

The accounts for the Civil List showed a calculated deficit of NOK 54.3 million in relation to the 2023 allocation. This deficit will be covered by previously allocated funds. The result is in keeping with the anticipated charges to expenses projected in the annual report for 2022. 

The deficit has its origin in the lag between allocations to and disbursements from the Palace security project. In 2023, the project accounts showed a calculated deficit of NOK 70.9 million (cf. the corresponding surplus of NOK 92.7 million for 2022). Commissioned in 2016, the security project was by and large concluded in 2023. Security enhancement of the perimeter of the Palace and Palace Park was completed, and the logistics building, which ensures safe handling of mail, goods and waste, was opened. A few minor tasks that remain under the project will soon be concluded.

The management accounts for the Royal Court show a surplus of NOK 16.5 million. This surplus is largely due to vacant posts and postponement of projects as a result of an ongoing organisational development process. The accounts show that a significant proportion of the ordinary appropriations are used for operation and maintenance of the Palace and other Royal residences, as well as the cultural and historical assets these encompass.

The annual report and accounts of the Royal Court for 2023 have been submitted to the Presidium of the Storting, the Ministry of Digitalisation and Public Governance, and the Office of the Auditor General of Norway.

18.04.2024

Every year when the report is being published the Norwegian media tend to focus on the budget and nothing else. When the report this year showed a calculated ("planned") deficit of NOK 54,3 million, the media omitted the word "calculated" in the headlines, hoping that the readers wouldn't care to read the article, or the report itself, to get the details. It happens every year when there is a deficit. Then people will get the impression that the royal court – or the royal family – is out of control.

The report showed that the members of the royal family had 756 engagements ("oppdrag") in 2023, while the number was 769 in 2023, 635 in 2021 and 381 in 2020. The two last-mentioned years was of course dominated by the pandemic. In 2019 the number of engagements was 723. In other words, the number of engagements have not changed much, but considering the fact that the king will scale down his activities due to his age, that the queen is also of old age and the crown princess has chronical health issues, the number might fall a bit in 2024. Obviously the crown prince will not be able to cover all the things the king has normally taken care of. Fellow historian Trond Norén Isaksen has done some calculations and found out that King Harald in 2023 had 55 engagements outside the Royal Palace, as compared to 92 in 2013. Obviously his health and age are the reasons for this.

The report also tells that the members of the royal family visited 9 counties (out of 11, from 2024 the number of counties have gone up to 15), 47 municipalities, they have made official visits to Denmark, France, Greece, Jordan, United Kingdom, Sweden and Germany and have hosted as many as 2 735 guests.

But what about the orders and medals? 12 people were awarded the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav in 2023, as compared to 17 in 2022 and 2021. Among the 12 were Prince Sverre Magnus and the then Prince Christian of Denmark, who both received the Grand Cross. The order is conferred as "a reward for distinguished services rendered to Norway and mankind".

53 people received  the Royal Norwegian order of Merit in 2023, all classes combined, compared to 34 people in 2022, 56 in 2021, 89 in 2020 and 57 in 2019. Not sure what to read into the increase. It varies a bit from one year to another. According to the official website, the Order of Merit is conferred on foreign and Norwegian nationals as "a reward for their outstanding service in the interest of Norway". Most of the recipients are diplomats, mostly ambassadors and honorary consuls. Bishop and Preses of the Bishops' Conference of the Church of Norway, Olav Fykse Tveit, who became a commander, was one of the exceptions.

The Medal of St. Olav is conferred as "a reward for services in advancing knowledge of Norway abroad and for strengthening the bonds between expatriate Norwegians and their descendants and their country of residence". In 2023 only one person, farmer Ole P. Gamme from Gran, county of Innlandet (formerly Oppland), received the medal, compared to two people in 2022. Gamme is known for his impressive efforts through many years of promoting knowledge of Norway in the Norwegian-American communities in the USA, and to establishing contact between emigrant Norwegians in the USA and their relatives in Norway. He has among others also built a very impressive database of emigrants from Hadeland and in this way helped a lot of Americans finding their roots at Hadeland.

The King's Medal of Merit is conferred as "a reward for service in the fields of art, science and industry and for outstanding public service". 68 people redeived the medal in 2023, as compared to 53 in 2022, 47 in 2021 and 46 in 2020. Among the 68 were the artist Finn Kalvik, rose painter Hjørdis Emilie Juvik and several teachers.

The King's Commemorative Medal "is conferred for particularly meritorious service to His Majesty the King", but "may also be conferred on foreign nationals in connection with state visits and visits of the King abroad, on those who have served at a Norwegian foreign service mission, and on others in recognition for special services". The medal is conferred in silver or gold. In 2023, 7 people got the medal in gold, while 23 people were awarded the medal in silver. In 2022 the numbers were much lower - 3 gold medals and 6 silver medals. Several people connected to the king's staff received the medal in 2023 and 2022.

Previous articles on the subject of the Norwegian Royal Court's annual report:

• 2022 (published 23 April 2023)
• 2021 (published 4 May 2022)
• 2016 (published 24 April 2017)
• 2014 (published 30 March 2015)
• 2013 (published 16 April 2014) 
• 2012 (published 17 April 2013)  
• 2011 (published 11 April 2012)  
• 2010 (published 12 April 2011)

I started the blog in 2009. The first annual report was published by the court in 2005. Previously all there were links to all the reports here, but now only the reports from 2020 to 2023 are available. You may, however, contact the court and ask for earlier reports if you are interested.

Front cover: © 2023 (?) Eskil Wie Furunes/NRK.

Norway: King Harald discharged from the National Hospital

King Harald was today discharged from Rikshospitalet (the National Hospital) in Oslo, two days after having a permanent pacemaker implanted and 16 days after having fallen ill with an infection during his vacation in Malaysia.

The King discharged from hospital

His Majesty The King has today been discharged from Rikshospitalet and is doing well. The King is on sick leave until Monday, 8 April, for rest and recuperation.

His Royal Highness The Crown Prince Regent will take care of The King's constitutional duties during this period.

14.03.2024

Earlier articles on the King's hospitalisation in Malaysia and at the National Hospital, Norway:

• 27.02.2024: Norway: King Harald hospitalized in Malaysia
• 28.02.2024: Norway: Update on King Harald's health situation
• 29.02.2024: Norway: A new update on King Harald's health situation
• 02.03.2024: Norway: Update on King Harald's health situation – temporary pacemaker implanted
• 03.03.2024: Norway: King Harald on his way home
• 04.03.2024: Norway: King Harald is back in Norway
• 06.03.2024: Norway: Update on King Harald's health situation (6 March 2024)
• 12.03.2024: Norway: Update on King Harald's health situation – permanent pacemaker implanted

Norway: Update on King Harald's health situation – permanent pacemaker implanted

The Norwegian Royal Court informed today that King Harald this morning had a permanent pacemaker implanted.

Update on His Majesty King Harald's health situation

His Majesty The King received this morning a permanent pacemaker. The procedure was successful, and His Majesty is doing well. His Majesty will remain in hospital for a few more days.

12.03.2024

In a press conference today, the king's personal physician, Bjørn Bendz, said that the infection that the king had suffered from had affected his heart, which brought about the need for a pacemaker (VG.no).

When the king traveled from Malaysia on a medical plane on 3 March, the court told that the king would be on sick leave for two weeks, meaning that he was expected to return to his duties on 18 March 2024. But according to the physician, King Harald will be on sick leave until some time after Easter.

Earlier articles on the King's hospitalisation in Malaysia and at the National Hospital, Norway:

• 27.02.2024: Norway: King Harald hospitalized in Malaysia
• 28.02.2024: Norway: Update on King Harald's health situation
• 29.02.2024: Norway: A new update on King Harald's health situation
• 02.03.2024: Norway: Update on King Harald's health situation – temporary pacemaker implanted
• 03.03.2024: Norway: King Harald on his way home
• 04.03.2024: Norway: King Harald is back in Norway
• 06.03.2024: Norway: Update on King Harald's health situation (6 March 2024)

Norway: Update on King Harald's health situation (6 March 2024)

The Norwegian Royal Court issued today another press statement concerning King Harald's health situatuion:

Update on The King's health situation

His Majesty The King´s health is steadily improving, and his general condition is satisfactory. The treating physicians are content with the progress. 

The infection is under control, and the pacemaker insertion is likely to take place early next week.

06.03.2024

The court also issued another statement today, in Norwegian only, where the king and queen expresses their thanks for all the care, help and support in connection with the king falling ill on their holiday in Malaysia.

Earlier articles on the King's hospitalisation in Malaysia:

• 27.02.2024: Norway: King Harald hospitalized in Malaysia
• 28.02.2024: Norway: Update on King Harald's health situation
• 29.02.2024: Norway: A new update on King Harald's health situation
• 02.03.2024: Norway: Update on King Harald's health situation – temporary pacemaker implanted
• 03.03.2024: Norway: King Harald on his way home
• 04.03.2024: Norway: King Harald is back in Norway

Norway: King Harald back in business

King Harald was last week on sick leave due to a respiratory infection. He had intended to attend Landskytterstevnet Innendørs, the Norwegian indoors rifle championship at Stjørdal yesterday, but had to cancel. Originally the sick leave was to end after Friday 2 February. During his sick leave, Crown Prince Haakon took over his father's duties as regent.

Tonight the king was back in business as he attended a meeting in Oslo Militære Samfund («Oslo Military Society»), where the Norwegian defence minister Bjørn Arild Gram held a speech on the current status and challenges in the defence sector.

Both King Charles and the Princess of Wales have been discharged from hospital, while the King of Norway is on sick leave

Kensington Palace informed two days ago that the Princess of Wales, who earlier this month had been admitted to hospital for a planned abdominal surgery, had returned home to continue her recovery and that she was making good progress.

We also learned that King Charles had also left the hospital after having undergone «a corrective procedure» because of an enlarged prostate. In my blog article two weeks ago, I wrote that «The Princess of Wales certainly has the right to privacy, and the two health situations [...] are very different, but I fear that Kensington Palace's approach of openness, or lack thereof, will only lead to more speculations than necessary.» I should stress that the Princess of Wales absolutely has the right to privacy and that the public don't really need to know the reason for her surgery. I only hope that her recovery will go well and that she will soon be back making engagements. As one of the most popular members of the British royal family her public presence is very important to the institution.

The Royal Court in Oslo announced today that King Harald, who will celebrate his 87th birthday next month, is on sick leave (again) until after 2 February due to a respiratory infection.  

The Norwegian Royal Court. Annual Report 2022

The Norwegian Royal Court's annual report for 2022 was published on 13 April 2023. As I wrote last year, the annual report is a great compensation for the lack of the former royal yearbooks. You get a very good summary of the activities of the royal family during the year in question.

From the article «Annual Reports» at the official website:

Annual report for 2022

The celebration of the eighteenth birthday of Her Royal Highness Princess Ingrid Alexandra was the most important event for the Royal House of Norway and the Royal Court in 2022. The Princess will one day assume the role as the Norwegian Head of State. In connection with attaining the age of majority, the Princess visited the Storting, the Government and the Supreme Court. She also attended a meeting of the Council of State at the Royal Palace as an observer. Originally scheduled for January, the celebration was postponed until June due to the pandemic. The Princess was celebrated by the Government at Deichman library, and at a gala dinner at the Royal Palace hosted by Their Majesties The King and Queen.

Official engagements

When Norway reopened after the pandemic, the members of the Royal House once again had the opportunity to meet people in person across the country, and in 2022 they paid visits to 10 counties and 37 municipalities. In addition, they participated in several hundred official events and hosted a variety of events at the Royal Palace and Skaugum. They were also able to resume their international travel on behalf of Norway, and paid visits to Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Greenland, the US, Italy and Kenya, among others. Guided tours of the Royal Palace were reinstituted, and more than 43 000 people visited the Palace in the course of the eight-week period. In addition, more than 20 000 people visited the two exhibitions at the Queen Sonja Art Stable, “The King’s Cars” and “Open Doors”.

The Royal House of Norway encompasses the King and Queen, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, and Princess Ingrid Alexandra. In addition, Princess Astrid, Mrs Ferner carries out certain official duties. In November 2022, Princess Märtha Louise, in consultation with The King and close family members, decided that she will not carry out official duties for the Royal House at the present time. This is intended to draw a line that more clearly separates her commercial activity from her role as a member of the Royal Family.

In 2022, the Royal House of Norway, too, dealt with the impact of the crises and the geopolitical situation that Europe and the world have been contending with. Throughout the year, members of the Royal House have taken part in events and met people who are directly affected by the war in Ukraine.  When the Oslo Pride Celebration was subject to an act of terrorism in June, the members of the Royal House took part in the memorial services and commemorative activities.

The war and the crises in Europe have also had ramifications for Norway, and thus on the activities of the Royal Court. Rising prices, especially the price of electricity, have changed the anticipated cost levels. Measures implemented to reduce energy consumption at the Royal Palace by roughly ten per cent during the winter, combined with re-ordering of priorities and austerity measures have provided the funding needed to cover the extra expenses incurred in 2022.

The security project

Over the course of the past years, an extensive security project has been carried out at the Royal Palace and the other Royal residences. The project primarily involves enhancing the security of the properties and surrounding park areas. A major portion of the project activity was completed in 2022, and will be finalised during 2023. The activity has been somewhat delayed, and in 2022 the cost framework was adjusted upwards in line with new prognoses. In the revised national budget, the project’s cost framework was increased to NOK 800 million, and all the remaining activities will be carried out using the allocations provided under the national budget.

Annual accounts

The accounts for the Civil List showed a surplus of NOK 63.6 million in relation to the 2022 allocation. The surplus is due to allocations to the security project that will not be disbursed and charged to expenses until 2023. The 2022 accounts for the security project at the Royal Palace and the other Royal residences therefore show a surplus of NOK 92.7 million. The management accounts for the Royal Court show a deficit of NOK 27.17 million. This is largely due to the transfer of NOK 31 million from the Royal Court’s operating reserve to the security project to cover the increase in the cost framework for the project.

The annual report and accounts of the Royal Court for 2022 have been submitted to the Presidium of the Storting, the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, and the Office of the Auditor General of Norway.

Besides the topics mentioned above, the readers can among others enjoy the new Lord Chamberlain's commentary as well as articles about the royal court, the Royal House's cultural outreach activities, audiences, a more environmentally friendly car park, apprentices at the Royal Court, royal orders and medals.

The Lord Chamberlain, Olav Heian-Engdal, replaced Gry Mølleskog in 2022.

The royal family had 769 engagements («oppdrag») in 2022, compared to 635 in 2021. The numbers show that the world has become «more normal» again after the pandemic. In 2019 the number was 723, compared to only 381 in 2020.

The newspapers have written about the annual report, and the focus is of course mostly on the costs. Nettavisen points among others out out that the court paid NOK 1,067,944 for the celebrations of Princess Ingrid Alexandra's 18th birthday. The Government's dinner for the princess cost NOK 3,7 mill. 

But I would rather like to focus on orders and medals! 17 people were awarded the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav in 2022, which was exactly the same number as in 2021. Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Prince Daniel of Sweden and former Lord Chamberlain Gry Mølleskog all received the Grand Cross (in 2021 the latter was, by the way, awarded the Commander with star). Besides the class of Grand Cross, 4 people became Commanders of the Order of St. Olav, while 10 people became Knights 1st class. The Order of St. Olav is acording to the official website «a reward for distinguished services rendered to Norway and mankind».

34 people received the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit in 2022, all classes combined, compared to 56 in 2021, 89 in 2020 and 57 in 2019. The Order of Merit «is conferred on foreign and Norwegian nationals as a reward for their outstanding service in the interest of Norway». As usual most of the recipients were dilomats – ambassadors or honorary consuls. Two of the exceptions were the current Lord Chamberlain Olav Heian-Engdal, and the Swedish vaccine coordinator Richard Bergström, who became a Commander of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit.

The Medal of St. Olav is conferred as «a reward for services in advancing knowledge of Norway abroad and for strengthening the bonds between expatriate Norwegians and their descendants and their country of residence». In 2022 two people received the medal – managing director Anne Margrethe Hovland Pye, Great Britain, and shipowner Ragnar Meyer-Knutsen, USA – compared to none in 2021.

53 people received the King's Medal of Merit, compared to 47 people in 2021 and 46 in 2020. The medal is conferred as «a reward for service in the fields of art, science and industry and for outstanding public service».

Finally, the King's Commemorative Medal, which is conferred for particularly meritorious service to the king, was awarded to 9 people in 2022, compared to 32 people in 2021 and 9 people in 2020. 

Previous articles on the subject of the Norwegian Royal Court's annual report:

• 2021 (published 4 May 2022)
• 2016 (published 24 April 2017)
• 2014 (published 30 March 2015)
• 2013 (published 16 April 2014) 
• 2012 (published 17 April 2013)  
• 2011 (published 11 April 2012)  
• 2010 (published 12 April 2011)

Downloads of the annual reports for 2005 to 2022 can be found here.

Front cover: © 2022 Kimm Saatvedt/The Norwegian Royal Court.

Norway: Statement by King Harald on the occasion of the shooting tragedy in central Oslo

Following the shootings outside Per på Hjørnet and London Pub in central Oslo last night, where two people were killed and 21 people were injured, King Harald of Norway issued the following statement:

Skytetragedien i Oslo sentrum

Uttalelse fra Hans Majestet Kong Harald i anledning skytetragedien i Oslo sentrum.

25.06.2022

Familien min og jeg er forferdet over nattens skytetragedie i Oslo sentrum, der to mennesker ble drept og mange skadet. Vi føler med alle pårørende og berørte og sender varme tanker til alle som nå er redde, urolige og i sorg.

Vi må stå sammen om å forsvare verdiene våre: Frihet, mangfold og respekt for hverandre. Vi må fortsette å stå opp for at alle mennesker skal føle seg trygge.

Nå må vi ta godt vare på hverandre.

Harald R

In English:

The shooting tragedy in central Oslo

Statement from His Majesty King Harald on the occasion of the shooting tragedy in central Oslo.

25.06.2022

My family and I are horrified by the night's shooting tragedy in central Oslo, where two people were killed and many injured. We sympathize with all the relatives and affected and send warm thoughts to all who are now scared, restless and in grief.

We must stand together to defend our values: Freedom, diversity and respect for each other. We must continue to stand up for all people to feel safe.

Now we have to take good care of each other.

Harald R

On Saturday early afternoon the Crown Prince couple and Prince Sverre Magnus together with among other Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and the governing mayor (city government leader) of Oslo Raymond Johansen visited the scene of the shootings and laid down flowers outside London Pub.

The Crown Prince couple will attend the mourning service in Oslo Cathedral on Sunday 26 June.

The London Pub in central Oslo is a popular place in the gay community. The perpetrator has been charged with murder, attempted murder and carrying out a terrorist act. While the motive is yet to be known, the prosecutor has stated that "There is reason to believe this [terrorist act] involves hate crime [directed against gay people]" in addition to psychiatric issues. On advice by the police today's Pride parade and other Pride events were cancelled.

Postscript Monday 27 June 2022 at 22.55: The Royal Court revealed on Sunday morning that the Crown Prince had tested positive for Covid, which meantg that the Crown Princess attended the mourning service alone.

Updated last time on Monday 27 June 2022 at 22.55 (postscript added).

Norway: Princess Ingrid Alexandra's 18th birthday celebrations

Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, who celebrated her 18th birthday on 21 January this year and thus reached the age of majority, had to postpone the official celebrations due to the pandemic and the restrictions which applied at the time.

The official celebreations will take place on Thursday 16 June and Friday 17 June. On Thursday 16 June the Norwegian government is hosting a dinner at the Deichman Library in Oslo. The guest list covers 202 people from all over the country – among others 25 young people representing all the 11 counties. There will also be representatives from the Storting and the Supreme Court. The government has made a point of inviting young people from different sectors, like sports, culture, politics and various organisations. Several cultural features will be included during the evening.

On Friday 17 June the King and Queen will host a gala dinner at the Royal Palace. On Wednesday 15 June The Royal Court released a list of the official guests at the dinner:

Norway

• Crown Prince Haakon
• Crown Princess Mette-Marit
• Princess Ingrid Alexandra
• Prince Sverre Magnus
• Marius Borg Høiby
• Princess Märtha Louise
• Durek Verrett (fiancé of the former)
• Maud Angelica Behn
• Leah Isadora Behn
• Emma Tallulah Behn
• Princess Astrid, Mrs. Ferner
• Marit Tjessem (mother of Crown Princess Mette-Marit)

Denmark

• Crown Prince Frederik
• Crown Princess Mary

Sweden

• Crown Princess Victoria
• Prince Daniel
• Princess Estelle
• Prince Oscar

The Netherlands

• King Willem-Alexander
• Queen Máxima
• Princess Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange

Belgium

• Queen Mathilde
• Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant

Spain

• King Felipe

Luxembourg

• Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume
• Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie
• Prince Charles

Other royals

• Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece
• Crown Princess Marie-Chantal
• Prince Constantine-Alexios of Greece
• Prince Aristidis-Stavros of Greece
• Prince Kyril of Bulgaria
• Katharine Jibba Butler (partner of the former)
• Princess Mafalda-Cecilia of Bulgaria
• Princess Olimpia of Bulgaria
• Prince Tassilo of Bulgaria
• Rosario Nadal (former wife of Prince Kyril)

The official Norway

• President of the Storting, Masud Gharahkhani
• Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre
• Chief of the Supreme Court Toril Marie Øie
• Finance minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum
• Foreign minister Anniken Huitfeldt
• Minister of International Development Anne Beathe Tvinnereim
• Minister of Defence Bjørn Arild Gram
• Minister of Children and Families Kjersti Toppe
• Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Sigbjørn Gjelsvik
• Minister of Labour and Social Inclusion Marte Mjøs Persen
• Minister of Agriculture and Food Sandra Borch
• Minister of Justice and Public Security Emilie Enger Mehl
• Minister of Petroleum and Energy Terje Aasland
• Parliamentary leader Rigmor Aasrud, The Labour Party
• Parliamentary leader Erna Solberg, The Conservative Party
• Paliamentary leader Sylvi Listhaug, The Progress Party
• Parliamentary leader Marit Arnstad, The Centre Party
• Parliamentary leader Guri Melby, The Liberarl Party
• Parliamentary leader Une Bastholm, The Green Party
• Member of Parliament Irene Ojala, Patient Focus
• Plenary session leader of the Sameting (Samediggi), Tom Sottinen
• Director General, Office of the Prime Minister, Tormod C. Endresen
• Governor of Vestfold and Telemark county, Per Arne Olsen
• Mayor of Oslo Marianne Borgen
• Mayor of Sokndal Jonas Andersen Sayed
• Chief of Defense Eirik Kristoffersen
• Director of Police Benedicte Bjørnland
• Bishop and Preses of the Bishops' Conference, The Church of Norway Olav Fykse Tveit
• Leader of The Council for Religious and Life Stance Communities in Norway, Trond Enger
• Committee chairperson of The Islamic Council Norway Abdirahman Diriye
• Secretary General of the Foreign Ministry, Tore Hattrem

Norwegian organisations

• Committee chairperson of The Norwegian Children and Youth Council Margrete Bjørge Katanasho
• Committee chairperson of Miljøagentene (The Eco-agents) Ingvild Melvær Hanssen
• President of The Norwegian Board Sports Federation Ola Keul
• Freestyle skier Hedvig Wessel, The Norwegian Ski Federation
• Chairperson of The School Student Union of Norway Edvard Botterli Udnæs
• Chairperson of Norsk Målungdom Frida Pernille Mikkelsen
• General Secretary of The Norwegian Association of Youth with Disabilities Ingvild Østli
• Chairperson of Skeiv Ungdom (The Norwegian Gay Youth Association) Jane-Victorius G. Bonsaksen
• Editor of Feminist/FETT Sumaya Jirde Ali
• Artist Sandra Mujinga
• Chairperson of the National Council of the Norwegian Red Cross Youths, Solveig Ugland
• General Secretary of WWF Karoline Andaur
• Chairperson of Changemaker Norway Naja Amanda Lynge Møretrø
• Chairperson of The National Council of The Norwegian Trekking Association Youths Anna Nes
• Chairperson of the Sameting's Youth Political Committee Elle Rávdná Näkkäläjärvi 

Corps diplomatique

• Amabassador of Myanmar, Daw Daw Maw (doyen)
• Ambassador of Sweden, Ulla Cecilia Björner
• Ambassador of Denmark, Louise Bang Jespersen
• Ambassador of Luxembourg, Henri Schumacher

Other guests are family and friends.

The sponsors at Princess Ingrid Alexandra's christening in 2004 were King Harald, King Felipe VI of Spain (then Prince of Asturias), Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Princess Märtha Louise of Norway and Marit Tjessem. They are all present for the 18th birthday celebrations as seen above.

Unfortunately work obligations will make it difficult for me to follow much of the events during the celebrations. I might write a few words later on, but will not make any promises as of now.

The Norwegian Royal Court. Annual Report 2021

The Norwegian Royal Court's annual report for 2021 was published on 25 April 2022. It has been a while since last time I wrote about the release of the annual report. As I have commented on before, it is not always possible for me to write blog articles the same day (or the day after) something major or otherwise newsworthy has happened. There are so many other things I have to attend to as well. It is easier to review a genealogical periodical or a book as the time pressure is not that great. Anyway, commenting on an annual report 9 days after it has been published is not that bad, is it?

I have commented earlier that if it hadn't been for the perhaps less appealing accounts for the Civil List, the annual report is a good compensation for lack of the royal yearbooks which are not published anylonger. You get a good survey of the royal family's activities during the year in question.

In short, the Norwegian Royal Court's annual report gives details about the activities of the Norwegian Royal Family and the operation of the Norwegian Royal Court during the year, including the accounts for the Civil List and surveys of orders and medals being awarded during a given year. The report for 2021 counts 102 pages, is well illustrated (many great photos in fact) and has a nice design (by Neue Design Studio). 

The Lord Chamberlain, Gry Mølleskog, who will leave her position later this year, opens the report with a few words about the main events of 2021. Then we get a very detailed report on how the royal court is organised and their main activities last year. Other chapters include the Crown Prince couple's activities, the Royal Diary 2021, cultural heritage, the security project, the King and the Defense, the change of government, the state visit from the Netherlands, the events marking the 10th anniversary of the terror attacks in Norway in 2011, finances, and management, equality and environment, health and safety, royal orders and medals and royal trusts. The last page gives a list of explanations to various words and expressions one mets at the court, like the civil list and protocol.

From the press release one can read among others:

Annual Reports

[...]

The report is intended to provide better information about and increase understanding of the activities of the Royal House of Norway and the Royal Court. [...]

Annual report for 2021

Just as in society at large, the restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic have continued to affect the activities of the Royal House of Norway and the Royal Court in 2021. Nonetheless, a high level of activity has been maintained. The Royal Family visited 8 counties and 31 municipalities in person and paid digital visits to 3 counties and 13 municipalities. There were 50 meetings of the King in Council of State held at the Royal Palace, and 27 formal audiences were given to receive ambassadors from other countries. In November, Their Majesties The King and Queen were the hosts for a State Visit by the King and Queen of the Netherlands, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince paid an official visit to the US. 

The security project

Activities under the project to enhance security at the Royal Palace and the other Royal residences were extensive in 2021, and major portions of the project were completed during the course of the year. The high level of activity has resulted in a planned budget deficit which is covered by previously set aside appropriations to the project. The project was commissioned in 2016 by the Ministry of Justice and Public Security in response to a security analysis carried out by the National Police Directorate from 2012 to 2015, and is expected to be completed in 2022.

The security project has a budget framework of NOK 623.8 million. As the project has progressed, a number of factors have proven to be more complicated than in the original specifications set out in the preliminary project. As a result the project has been somewhat delayed and has required greater outlay than planned. These factors were related both to geological conditions and to the management of cultural heritage. Alongside this, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to problems with the delivery to Norway of the materials needed, a rise in prices and a lack of qualified craftspeople. In the first quarter of 2022, one of the project’s three primary suppliers filed for bankruptcy, which also entailed greater costs. The cost projections are higher, and funding in excess of the cost framework will be required.

Annual accounts

The planned deficit for the security project is NOK 129 144 266, which is covered by previously set aside appropriations. Per 31 December 2021, the project accounts show NOK 19.6 million in unused funds.

As anticipated by the Royal Court in its statement on the annual accounts submitted for 2020, there was a calculated deficit in the accounts for 2021. This deficit amounts to NOK 4 704 497. Due to the restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of measures could not be carried out during 2020, and these were completed in 2021. More than NOK 8 million have been used for renovation and maintenance projects in connection with the Royal residences and parks in 2021.

Operating costs for electricity were NOK 3.7 million higher than in 2020, which amounts to an increase of 111 %.

The annual report and accounts of the Royal Court for 2021 have been submitted to the Presidium of the Storting, the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, and the Office of the Auditor General of Norway.

In addition to the details given above, I should mention that the royal family had 635 engagements («oppdrag») in 2021. The similar number in 2019 was 723, while in 2020 the number naturally was much lower (381). I am not sure if the number contains the same in 2021 as in 2019, though. In the report for 2019 the expression «offisielle arrangementer» («official arrangements») is used, not «oppdrag».

As usual many orders and medals were awarded during 2021. The section for the recipients of the  Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav lists 17 people, compared to 13 the previous year. King Willem Alexander received the Grand Cross during his visit here, while the Lord Chamberlain Gry Mølleskog was among the three recipients of the Commander with star. 56 people received the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit, all classes combined, compared to 89 in 2020 and 57 in 2019.  The Order of Merit «is conferred on foreign and Norwegian nationals as a reward for their outstanding service in the interest of Norway». Most of the recipients were diplomats, and some of the orders were awarded to representatives of the Dutch Royal Court in connection with the official visit. No-one received the Medal of St. Olav in 2021, while 47 persons received the King's Medal of Merit, compared to 46 in 2020. The medal is conferred as «a reward for service in the fields of art, science and industry and for outstanding public service».

The King's Commemorative Medal, which is conferred for particularly meritorious service to the king, was in 2021 given to 32 people, compared to only 9 people in 2020.

Previous articles on the subject of the Norwegian Royal Court's annual report:

• 2016 (published 24 April 2017)
• 2014 (published 30 March 2015)
• 2013 (published 16 April 2014) 
• 2012 (published 17 April 2013)  
• 2011 (published 11 April 2012)  
• 2010 (published 12 April 2011)

Downloads of the annual reports for 2005 to 2021 can be found here.

Front cover: © 2021 Simen Løvberg Sund/The Norwegian Royal Court.

Norway: King Harald breaks off his vacation

The Royal Court has informed the newspaper Dagbladet that King Harald and Queen Sonja have decided to break off their vacation abroad and return home to Norway earlier than planned. The reason for their decision is the war in Ukraine.

The list of official engagements has already been updated and states that the King will grant the prime minister an audience on Friday morning 4 March 2022 and will also preside over the Council of State at 11 a.m. The Criown Prince will be attending both events. Originally Crown Prince Haakon was meant to serve as Regent for the whole week during the King's absence.

The shipping family Lorentzen of Drammen, Norway

Last week I published an article about the shipping family Lorentzen of Drammen, Norway at Slektshistoriewiki, the Norwegian genealogy wiki. I started on the project in June this year after I had received an interesting question to my blog article Erling Sven Lorentzen (1923–2021). The question was: "In "Underwater Saboteur", Max Manus mentions "James Lorentzen" who directed work on underground newspapers and propaganda. Gunnar Sonsteby, in "Report from No 24" mentions Erling Lorentzen, the youngest member of the Oslo gang. Is "James Lorentzen" a code name for Erling Lorentzen? Is James Lorentzen a relative of Erling Lorentzen?" 

My first reply was that James Lorentzen was James Stove Lorentzen (1921–1998), son of Axel B. Lorentzen (1884–1952). My source regarding James' grandfather was wrong, but I corrected this in my second reply, where I gave more details. I had heard about the said James Stove Lorentzen (one of several members of the family who had this name) and his son, who is an active member of the Conservative party here in Oslo, before, but I had not paid much attention to him. Because the Lorentzen family of Holmestrand is large, I had just assumed that Erling and James Stove belonged to the same shipping family, but from different branches. Now I know that the two shipping families with the same name and who both come from Denmark originally, have no connection to each other.

At least two books have been published about the Lorentzen of Drammen family, but so far I had not seen any genealogical work that covered all the branches. Because I wanted to know for sure which people belonged to the Holmestrand family and which people belonged to the Drammen family, I decided to do the research and set up a survey myself. The Drammen family has many interesting connections to other well-known Norwegian families, including Gude, Tidemand, Bache, Bruun, Ditlev-Simonsen and Lange. The oldest branch is still involved in shipping.

It was the Danish-born Jørgen Lorentzen (1788–1861) who settled in Drammen in the early years of the 19th century, who is the family's progenitor here in Norway. In 1828 he married Jean «Jane» Campbell of Leith, Scotland (1798–1878), widow of Arthur Stove (d. 1828), and adopted her son James, who took the name James Stove Lorentzen. Jørgen and Jane had 3 sons together. There are today agnatic descendants of James (1821–1901) and Thomas (1829–1890).

The project gradually changed from only containing genelogical details to also including short biographies, some larger than others. Of course the biographies depend on how much information it has been possible to gather. It has been a challenge to find details about some of the female members. Some of them surely have interesting stories to tell, but I haven't found much about them in print. Another challenge has been to find photos which are not copyrighted. I hope to add more later, but I guess I would have to ask some of the famili members directly. But I have found two free-licensed photos and also received permission to publish two photos of Ragna Gundersen, née Lorentzen (1904–1995) and Oscar Christian Gundersen (1908–1991). The latter was among others Miniser of Jusstice in the second and fourth Gerhardsen government and was a Supreme Court Justice in two periods. In the article the living members are excluded for privacy reasons.

I am already working on a larger update to include more details about Jørgen Lorentzen's Danish ancestors, and have also updated a few minors errors, one of the advantages of the wiki format. The article can be updated and improved whenever deemed necessary.

It always give me pleasure to compile genealogies like thios one, even if I have no personal connections to the family. Then Lorentzens of Drammen have been among the major shipping families in Norway for generations and I am sure the genealogy will also be of interest to others. And of course I am already thinking about new genealogy projets. I hope, among others, to publish an article about the Hoelseth family some time next year (in a genealogical periodical, not Slektshistoriewiki), and I have several ideas for genealogies at Slektshistoriewiki as well.

Photo: Portrait of Aage Blom Lorentzen (1891–1920), 1911. © Ernest Rude/Oslo Bymuseum.

Updated on 1 February 2022 at 10.10 a.m. (in the fourth paragraph second last sentence I had written "Jørgen and James had 3 sons together", but of course I should have written "Jørgen and Jane had 3 sons together".) 

King Harald off the sick list from 1 November

The Norwegian Royal Court confirmed in a press statement yesterday that King Harald's sick leave will end on Sunday 1 November. The king had an operation to replace a heart valvet on 9 October 2020 and has been on sick leave since 25 September.

The «Official engagements» section at Kongehuset.no shows that King Harald will have his first public engagements on Thursday 5 November 2020 when he will grant the new ambassadors from Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Greece a formal audience. He will also preside over the Council of State on Friday 6 November.

King Harald's sick leave extended

The Norwegian Royal Court announced today that King Harald's sick leave has been extended as the medical examination continues. The court does not tell for how long the king is expected to be on sick leave.

King Harald was admitted to hospital on Friday 25 September for heavy breathing, but was discharged the following Monday. The original sick leave was to expire today, 4 October. The extension means that Crown Prince Haakon will continue to serve as Regent and will preside over the Council of State at the Royal Palace on Monday 5 October at 2.30 p.m. The Crown Prince Regent will also receive the Chief of the Royal Norwegian Navy in audience earlier the same day.

As of now, the official program says that the king will receive the minister of foreign affairs in audience on Thursday 8 October. We just have to wait and see if there will be any more changes in the program next week.

King Harald on sick leave, Crown Prince Haakon to open the Storting

Crown Prince Haakon, who serves as Crown Prince Regent while his father, King Harald, is on sick leave, will undertake the formal opening of the 165th session of the Storting – the Norwegian Parliament – on Friday 2 October 2020 at 1 p.m. His mother Queen Sonja will join him for the ceremony.

Many have already pointed out the historic occasion as this Friday it is exactly 30 years since last time a Crown Prince Regent undertook the formal opening and read the speech from the Throne. On 2 October 1990 the then Crown Prince opened the Storting as his father King Olav V had been on sick leave since May that year. And of course, Aftenposten on 3 October 1990 pointed out that the last time a Crown Prince Regent undertook such a task was in 1957 when Olav served as Regent . King Haakon VII died on 21 September later the same year. The Storting sessions were organised differently at the time, so the last time Crown Prince Olav undertook the opening as Regent was on Saturday 12 January 1957. 

King Harald was admitted to Rikshospitalet (The National Hospital) in Oslo early on Friday 25 September. This meant that Crown Prince Haakon as Regent presided over the Council of State at the Royal Palace at 11 a.m. the same day, and Queen Sonja traveled alone to Lillehammer to attend the completion of Tuengen allé 1 B – the queen's childhood home – at Maihaugen Open-Air Museum. The Royal Palace informed that the king had been admitted to hospital for heavy breathing, but added that Covid-19 was already ruled out, and that king underwent a medical examination. Later the same day the public was informed that the king's health was improving while the examination continued. He was to be on sick leave until 4 October. King Harald was discharged from hospital on Monday 28 September while the hospital continued to review the king's condition.

According to the official website, King Harald will have his first public engagement on Monday 5 October when he will grant the Chief of the Royal Norwegian Navy, Counter admiral Nils Andreas Stensønes, an audience. Crown Prince Haakon will also be in attendance.

Updated on 4 October 2020 at 20.00 (I had written Tuesday 5 October instead of Monday 5 October in the last paragraph).

Grave of Ari Behn, Our Saviour's Cemetery, Oslo, Norway

 © 2020 Dag Trygsland Hoelseth

The author Ari Behn, former husband of Princess Märtha Louise of Norway, died on 25 December 2019, 47 years old. The funeral service took place at Oslo domkirke (Oslo Cathedral) on 3 January 2020. 

Due to the pandemic, the urn interment at Vår Frelsers gravlund (Our Saviour's Cemetery) in Oslo was postponed. The family finally decided to have a private interment ceremony on 30 September 2020, which would have been Ari Behn's 48th birthday.

On the headstone one can find his name, birth and death date and signature engraved, besides the text «Du er høyt elsket av alle» («You are much beloved by everyone»). 

Princess Märtha Louise's Hankø property sold

It was confirmed today that Princess Märtha Louise holiday home Bloksberg in Fredrikstad has been sold. The property was put on the market in August 2018, but it has obviously taken some time to find the right buyer at the right price. In 2018 the property was valued at NOK 35 millions.

The selling price has not been disclosed, but will be revealed when the title deed has been registered.

The then Crown Prince Olav bought the property in 1949, as Grunnboken (the Land Registry) reveals (not in 1947, as the Norwegian newspapers claim). Bloksberg was transferred to Princess Märtha Louise in December 2001.

Norway: King Harald «back in business»

The Norwegian Royal Court could earlier today reveal that King Harald, who has been on sick leave for two weeks and who was discharged from hospital 8 days ago, now has «returned to duty».

The subpage «Official engagements» at Kongehuset.no reveals that King Harald at 11 a.m. on Friday 24 January 2020 will preside over the Council of State. HRH The Crown Prince, who earlier today attended the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau at Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, Jerusalem, will also be present at the Council of State.

On Friday the king is also scheduled to grant the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates, His Excellency Mr Abdullah Khalfan Matar S. Al Romaithi, a farewell audience at 10 a.m.

It seems that King Harald will travel abroad this weekend, or at least he will be away on Monday 27 January, as the website reveals that Crown Prince Haakon in the role as Regent will grant the President of Mongolia, His Excellency Mr Battulga Khaltmaa, an audience that day. The king will, however, be back on duty again on Tuesday 28 January to host a luncheon for members of the diplomatic corps. Crown Prince Haakon will also be present.

Most likely a cabinet reshuffle will take place on Friday following the Progress Party's decision earlier this week to leave the coalition government. The three remaining coalition parties – the Conservatives, the Liberal Party and the Christian Democratic Party – will continue as a minority government. In the Council of State the outgoing government ministers will be formally dismissed while new members of government will be appointed. Usually the prime minister will be granted an audience prior to the Council of State in order to inform the king about the changes. The «Official engagement» subpage doesn't say anything about it at present, but the information might be added as soon as the prime minister definitely has got everything sorted out.