Nobel Peace Prize 2012

On December 10th – the day Alfred Nobel died in 1896 – the Nobel Peace Prize 2012 was awarded to the European Union in Oslo City Hall. King Harald, Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit attended the award ceremony.

The three presidents of the EU – the President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, and the President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz – accepted the prize on behalf of the EU. Also, the heads of the EU member states were present.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee stated that “the union and its forerunners have for over six decades contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe…The work of the EU represents fraternity between nations, and amounts to a form of the ‘peace congresses’ to which Alfred Nobel refers as criteria for the Peace Prize in his 1895 will.”

Prior to the ceremony, the Royal Couple granted the laureates an audience at the Royal Palace, where the Crown Prince Couple was present as well. Already that morning, Crown Princess Mette-Marit attended the traditional Save the Children’s Peace Prize Festival at the Nobel Peace Centre with this year’s Peace Prize Laureates and 200 children. For the first time, she was joined by her daughter, Princess Ingrid Alexandra.

The day ended that evening with the traditional Nobel Banquet at the Grand Hotel in Oslo in honour of the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, which also the Royal Couple and the Crown Prince Couple attended.

Tonight, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit will attend the Nobel Peace Prize Concert at Oslo Spektrum, which will be co-hosted by actors Sarah Jessica Parker and Gerard Butler.

Filed under Norway
Tagged Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, European Union, Harald V of Norway, Nobel Prize, Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, Queen Sonja of Norway.