King Harald And Queen Sonja News and Pictures: November 2003 - August 2004

[Alexandria]

This is terrific news! I'm glad to hear the King is feeling better enough to do things he enjoys again.

[Dennism]

Good move for his health as well. Miami in February/March is better for your health than Norway despite the air not being as clean.

[paulette]

Royals warned against backing new Olympics bid

It's been 10 years since the Olympic flame was lit at Lillehammer. Now a former prime minister who often speaks out on various issues is warning members of the royal family against trying to attract another Olympics to Norway.

Kaare Willoch, considered a patriarch of Norwegian politics, says neither King Harald nor Crown Prince Haakon should get too involved in a new bid to attract the Winter Olympics to the northern city of Tromsoe in 2014.

The late King Olav took an active role in securing the Winter Games for Lillehammer. He lobbied for Lillehammer while attending the Winter Olympics in Sarajevo in 1984, for example, and even wrote a personal letter to Juan Antonio Samaranch, who headed the International Olympic Committee at the time.

On Wednesday, Queen Sonja was among those traveling back to Lillehammer to attend anniversary ceremonies for the 1994 Olympics, which Samaranch called "the best ever" at the time.

But neither the queen, the king or others should follow King Olav's example in lobbying for the Olympics, Willoch claims. The question of whether to finance Tromsoe's bid will be decided in parliament, where politicians currently are divided on the issue.

"I don't want to criticize King Olav for what he did," Willoch told newspaper Aftenposten. "King Olav had greater authority than King Harald has, because the times have changed.

"I will put it diplomatically: Neither King Harald nor Crown Prince Haakon should join the fight around Tromso's candidacy in 2014 with the same fervor."

Willoch was prime minister in the mid-1980s, when King Olav wrote his letter. He wouldn't comment on whether some politicians found it awkward or difficult to argue against spending taxpayers' money on the Lillehammer bid, when the king so actively supported it.

Former palace official and political scientist Carl Erik Grimstad, however, addressed the issue in his book "Behind the Facade" ("Bak fasaden").

He wrote that it throws "sand into the machinery" when a monarch gets too engaged in an issue. "When the king gave his support for the Lillehammer Olympics, the politicians felt there was no way back," Grimstad wrote.

The first budget prepared for the Lillehammer Olympics totalled NOK 600 million (about USD 70 million at the time). Willoch's government ended up having to approve a budget for NOK 1.4 billion, while the total cost of the Games eventually landed at NOK 7 billion.

"It was a huge budget overrun, and I don't think King Olav (who died in 1991) ever understood the costs involved for an Olympics," Willoch said. He admits he didn't understand how costly the Games would be, either, nor did athletic officials.

King Harald and Queen Sonja carried on King Olav's support for the Games, believing it was good for the nation. Now, however, even current Olympics director Petter Roenningen, who is a friend of King Harald, agrees with Willoch.

"I would advise King Harald against getting involved in the competition," Roenningen said. "Lillehammer was a success in all ways, but a fiasco (in Tromsoe) could have consequences for the monarchy's status and reputation."

[Dennism]

From what I've read, even some officials in Tromso think the bid is not a great idea. We're too small, they say, or let's not waste our money on this because it's not going to happen.

[Dennism]

Aftenposten:

King continues recovery in Miami

King Harald remains on sick leave following cancer surgery in December, but he's clearly feeling well enough to go sailing. He was planning to spend his 67th birthday Saturday on a borrowed boat off Miami.

All the flags were set to be flying in Norway on February 21 to honor the king's birthday, but he wasn't going to see them. Palace officials said Thursday he was "in good form" and traveling to Miami Beach.

He'll take part in a regatta tied to the Southern Ocean Race Conference from February 25-29.

"The regatta is part of his convalescence," claimed palace spokeswoman Wenche Rasch.

Officially, the monarch is still on sick leave, but doctors have evaluated his condition as so good that they said he could go ahead with the trip to Florida. He underwent surgey for bladder cancer in early December.

The SORC regatta is considered one of the most important winter events. The king and his crew will take part in a borrowed boat that's in the same category as his own Fram XV.

King Harald isn't expected to report back to work until later this spring, possibly after Norway's long Easter holiday. His new granddaughter and royal heir, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, will be baptized April 17, he'll attend the Danish and Spanish crown princes' weddings in May, do his royal duty at 17th of May festivities and go on official trips to Greece and Nord-Troendelag in June.

[norwegianne]

When I saw the flags all over town today I was like WTF? But when I got to work and looked at the calendar I got the picture...

[Jacqueline]

It's good to see that His Majesty is recovering well and that he is able to increase his activity. :)

[Dennism]

Originally posted by norwegianne@Feb 21st, 2004 - 1:58 pm
When I saw the flags all over town today I was like WTF? But when I got to work and looked at the calendar I got the picture...

You mean they don't normally do that? How sad. You must have thought that something was wrong then.

[Jacqueline]

Queen takes over daughter’s vacated flat
The Oslo flat that Princess Martha Louise recently moved out of apparently won’t be sold or stand empty for long. Queen Sonja reportedly plans to take over the flat, using it as a private haven, a studio and workplace.

The flat isn’t far from the Royal Palace, perched on a hilltop at Professor Dahl’s Gate 18 in the capital’s fashionable Frogner-Majorstuen district. The large flat is on the top floor of the building, with a spacious roof terrace offering panoramic views over the city, the fjord and nearby hills.

Princess Martha Louise had inherited the flat from the queen’s mother, Dagny Haraldsen, who lived there for several years. Haraldsen also controlled a smaller flat next door that was used by her housekeeper and caregiver.

Now weekly magazine Se og Hoer reports that Queen Sonja will take over both flats, renovate them and thus have the entire top floor of the building for herself.

The magazine wrote that the queen will use the property as a "fristed" (private haven) and work studio.

The building was originally constructed by the queen’s brother, Haakon Haraldsen, who designed the top floor for their mother.

It remained unclear why the queen, who oversaw the expensive and controversial renovation of the Royal Palace in the 1990s, needs the flat. She and King Harald have a large royal residence inside the palace and also use a variety of other royal properties around the country in addition to their summer home on the island of Tjoeme.

Link: Aftenposten

Pic of Queen Sonja: http://www.aftenposten.no/multimedia/archi...812_187409h.jpg

[norwegianne]

On the flat: I've read, assumptions only mind you, that the Queen is setting up a place for herself should the King die first. There isn't really any place for dowager queens to live, in Norway, as we haven't had any - and the Palace isn't *that* big.

It certainly makes a lot of sense to me...

[Alexandria]

Or perhaps the Queen would like some personal, private space away from palace help, an escape from palace/court life so to speak.

And perhaps because her mother used to live in it, perhaps it holds many personal and fond memories for the Queen which she would like to keep in the family and perhaps one day be a home for her grandchildren, Maud Angelica and Ingrid Alexandra.

[Fireweaver]

Personal space is always good, no matter what type of home you live in! And if Princess M-L can't take care of the flat, (with the new home she bought, plus the reported move to New York) then it makes sense for the queen to take over.

[norwegianne]

And the first official event was a visit to my neighbour town. I was dropping dad off at the airport, and got a look at the royals (well, as good look as you can get when you drive in one direction, and they drive in the other, plus are in the back-seat... but I saw, I saw.)

Mostly I just saw lots of police.



but here others can see what a wind-blown Sonja and Harald looks like. It sure is windy around here today...

[Dennism]

From Kampanje.com. The Court is upset that photos were taken of the family on Capri.


Kongehuset reagerer
på feriebilder

(10:00 - 15.04.2004)

Kongefamilien er irritert på kjendisbladene Her og Nå og Se og Hørs store bildeoppslag fra familiens Capri-ferie i påsken. – Bildene er eksempler på at kongefamiliens behov for privatliv ikke blir respektert, sier slottets informasjonssjef Wenche Rasch.
MEDIE-ETIKK

Mens Her og Nå denne uken bruker seks sider på bildene av en feriende kongefamilie på Capri, har Se og Hør fem sider med bilder av kongefamilien.

Slottet mener fotograferingen av de avslappede kongelige ferierende er et overtramp.

– Selv om de aktuelle bildene er tatt av internasjonale byråer, er det redaktørenes ansvar når de velger å la dem trykke, sier Rasch til Dagbladet.

Her og Nå-redaktør Rino Rådahl mener bildene er kjempereklame for det norske monarkiet, og viser til at det er snakk om trivelige og ufarlige bilder.

Odd Johan Nelvik i Se og Hør mener det ville være en umulig problemstilling av norske medier skulle avholde seg fra å kjøpe bildene, når de er solgt internasjonalt.

[Jacqueline]

Originally posted by Fireweaver@Apr 3rd, 2004 - 12:27 am
Personal space is always good, no matter what type of home you live in! And if Princess M-L can't take care of the flat, (with the new home she bought, plus the reported move to New York) then it makes sense for the queen to take over.

Makes perfect sense to me. Better to take it over then to let a flat like that go. I think that it also comes with another adjoining flat that is smaller and was once used for a caretaker.

[GrandDuchess]

From Nettavisen

Kerry is related to King Harald

The Democrat’s president candidate John Kerry is related to King Harald of Norway, and according to one expert, royal relation ensures that he will win the election this fall.

Not only did Kerry live a couple of years in Oslo during his youth, he is also related with the Norwegian King, according to Harold Brooks-Baker, director of Burke’s Peerage, the «bible» of the European royal families.

«He is not only related to the Queen of England on his mother’s side, but also to the Queen of the Netherlands, the Queen of Denmark and the King of Norway, and other European royal families,» stated Brooks-Baker. «Even Princess Diana was a distant relative.»

And it is precisely Kerry’s connections to the royal families that may ensure him the victory in this falls presidential election, according to Brooks-Baker. According to the expert, the candidate who has the most royal blood pulsing in his veins has won every American presidential election since the time of George Washington.
Also President George W. Bush is of blue blood, but not as much as Kerry. Bush is a descendent of Edward I of England.

«But on his mother’s side, Kerry is the direct descendent of John Winthrop, the first governor of the Bay Colony in Massachusetts. And through this Winthrop connection, Kerry has more royal and aristocratic relatives than Bush,» Brooks-Baker stated.

«Even if many think that Bush is going to win, I would bet my money on Kerry. The royal rule always works. The candidate who has the most royal connections always wins. It is the most particular pattern, and this can’t be accidental,» Brooks-Baker said, according to the National Enquirer.

[Dennism]

The King and Queen at the Danish Royal Wedding on May 14, 2004

King and Queen

[Lyonnaise]

2004 Abel Prize laureates, Isadore M. Singer (2nd L) of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Michael F. Atiyah (2nd R) of the University of Edinburgh, pose 25 May 2004 with Norway's King Harald ® and Queen Sonja at the Royal Palace in Oslo before the award ceremony. The Abel prize rewards mathematicians.

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