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.

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.

No Her og Nå Royal Yearbook in 2016

The Norwegian weekly magazine Her og Nå has from 2012 published a yearbook called Året rundt med Kongefamilien («The Year with the Royal Family»), which with many photos and short texts have presented the main events of the Norwegian royal family throughout the year. I made a presentation of the first issue in 2012.

The yearbook was also published in 2013, 2014 and 2015, but I haven't found it in the newspaper kiosks this year. The publisher Egmont Hjemmet Mortensen confirmed to me today that the «special magazine» has not been published in 2016. I guess it hasn't sold well enough. So far I haven't come across any royal yearbooks by other publishers either.

Se og Hør launches royal magazine

Earlier this month I wrote about Her og Nå's yearbook (booklet) Året med Kongefamilien 2012 ("The Year with the Royal Family 2012"). The publication has now got competition in Se og Hør/Aller Forlag's new royal magazine called Royal, which was launched on 19 November 2012.

The first issue has the subtitle Året i bilder 2012 ("The year in photos 2012") and it goes without saying that it first of all covers the main events of 2012. The main focus is naturally on the Norwegian royal family, but you will also find articles on other royals, including Crown Princess Mary of Denmark's 40th birthday celebrations, Prince Albert and Princess Charlène of Monaco's visit to Norway and the royal christening in Stockholm. Most main events are covered, such as Princess Astrid, Mrs. Ferner's 80th birthday, the Norwegian royal family's Easter vacation, state visits, 17th May celebration, the war hero Gunnar Sønsteby's funeral, King Harald and Queen Sonja's 75th birthday celebrations, Princess Ragnhild, Mrs. Lorentzen's death and funeral etc., etc. All in all 116 pages with lots of photos and short texts, to the price of NOK 69. In addition you get a feature article about Crown Princess Mette-Marit's wardrobe. In other words, more pages and cheaper than Her og Nå, but the quality is more or less the same.

Se og Hør's publisher Aller Forlag informs that the next issue of Royal is planned to be published in the spring of 2013.

Norway: New yearbook published: Året med Kongefamilien 2012

The weekly magazine Her og Nå, published by Egmont Hjemmet Mortensen, is behind the recently released Året med Kongefamilien 2012 ("The Year with the Royal Family 2012"), which as the title suggests covers the main events of the Norwegian royal family in 2012. The price is NOK 89, ISBN 978-82-7227-097-0. It can be bought in most kiosks and supermarkets in Norway as well as from the publisher's webshop.

"Yearbook" might be somewhat misleading, as the publication is not a book, but a "special magazine" and has the same format and style as the ordinary weekly magazine. But for the sake of a suitable tag I will stick with "yearbook". After all, it deals with the royal family throughout the year.

This issue opens with the Christmas celebrations in 2011 and ends with the  Grand-Ducal wedding in Luxembourg in October 2012. We learn from the headline that Crown Princess Mette-Marit was the queen of the evening. Oh well, I am sure the equivalent publications in Sweden and Denmark will say the same about Crown Princess Victoria and Crown Princess Mary! Other articles include the opening of the exhibition The Royal Journey, the visit from the Prince of Wales in connection with Queen Elizabeth II's diamond jubilee, the public celebrations of King Harald and Queen Sonja's 75th birthdays, Their Majesties' state visit to Poland, the official county tours, the first anniversary of the 22 July terror acts, the London Olympic Games, Marius Borg Høiby's confirmation, Princess Ragnhild Mrs. Lorentzen's funeral and many private events as well. Lots and lots of photos (unfortunately some of them paparazzi) and short introductions (in Norwegian only) to each topic.

I am not sure if there will be any other yearbooks covering the Norwegian Royal Family this year. Last year Juritzen Forlag published Kongefamiliens årbok 2011 ("The Royal Family's Yearbook 2011"), but as of today I can't find any information at the publisher's website about a yearbook also in 2012.

Postscript 17 November 2012 at 23:10: If you don't get past the Norwegian order form, you can always send an e-mail to kundeservice [at] artisti.no.

Postscript 23 November 2012 at 11:00: It appears that the webshop doesn't post items to foreign addresses...

Postscript 27 November 2012 at 00:10: The publisher (Juritzen Forlag) confirmed in an e-mail on 23 November 2012 that it would not publish a yearbook in 2010.

The article was updated on 17 November 2012 at 23:10, last time on 27 November 2012 at 00.10.

Norway: Kongefamiliens årbok 2011 - The Royal Family's Yearbok 2011

We are getting closer to yet another Christmas celebration, and as usual a bunch of new and interesting book titles has reached the market. The fifth volume of Tor Bomann-Larsen's biography about King Haakon VII and Queen Maud of Norway, Æresordet (Cappelen Damm, 2011, ISBN 978-82-02-30374-7) has created several headlines in the newspapers and is expected to sell well (I hope to get it for Christmas!). But it might get some competition in Juritzen forlag's publication Kongefamiliens årbok 2011 ("The Royal Family's Yearbook 2011"), which has recently arrived in the bookstores (it was delivered from the printers on 8 November 2011, cf. the blog Passion&Prose bokdesign). As the title suggests, the book, edited by Arve Juritzen, covers the main royal events of 2011, and according to its publisher, consists of about 350 pages with more than 400 photos (the BibSys entry, however, gives the number of pages to be 317). The publisher's presentation mentions the Crown Prince family's trip to the Middle East and Asia, the Oslo and Utøya terror acts and the British Royal Wedding as some of the events that will be covered by the yearbook.

The book costs NOK 399, but is priced at NOK 349 in some of the Internet bookstores (see for instance Norli). ISBN: 978-82-8205-168-2.