Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit visited the aftercare project FRI in Drammen. FRI is a project that helps former inmates to return to society by offering networking, residential and work training.
Click at the image to see a Gallery at DT.no
Representatives go into prison and start motivating people. Inmates who are associated with FRI get a supervisor. Housing, job training, community and networks are offered to them.
The project is run by the Church City Mission and a number of partners who strongly support it; for example the police, the Housing Bank, Correctional Services, Red Cross, the business community and the municipality.
“This was incredibly nice and inspiring. That kind of building we all want”, said HRH Crown Prince Haakon during the visit today.
You can find a thread about the Church City Mission here.
Her_Majesty Norwegian Royals Prince Haakon, Princess Mette-Marit
Today Queen Sonja and Crown Princess Mette-Marit attended the gala night for the Pink Ribbon with the musical “Mamma Mia!” at the Folketeateret in Oslo.
Click at the image to see it at Side2
The performance was part of the Cancer Society and the Association for the “Pink Ribbon” campaign.
All proceeds from the musical show is also going to be used for breast cancer research.
The Queen pointed out how important that topic is for her:
“This is about raising awareness. It is very, very many who are affected, and we all know someone who is affected. Who knows when it’s our turn? I think Pink Ribbon action is a great and very great way to meet a challenge on.”
Queen Sonja also revealed that she already saw “Mamma Mia!” 3 times:
“I’ve seen it twice before with Lisa Stokke in London. And it was fun”, the Queen reveals.
You can find the official homepage of the “Pink Ribbon” campaign here.
Her_Majesty Norwegian Royals ABBA, Cancer, Princess Mette-Marit, Queen Sonja, Theatre
Today HM King Harald and HM Queen Sonja invited the Parliament’s representatives to dinner at the Palace. Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Princess Astrid also attended the gala. The gala for Stortinget is part of an over 100 year old tradition.
Click at the image to read the King's Speech at Kongehuset.no
In 1906 King Haakon first invited the members of the Parliament to a gala dinner. It was held every year since then and only interrupted by the years during the war. The first dinner was held in the Great Hall. There four long tables formed a horseshoe. In the first year the Parliament Dinner was held in winter. Nowadays the dinner is held in October, short time after the opening of the Parliament. In 1908 the dinner was moved from the Great Dining Room. More then 225 people are invited to the gala nowadays.
During this year’s dinner King Harald appeared from the jolly corner and served several jokes during his speech. The King’s speech before the dinner is served is a permanent fixture.
Read more about the history of the parliamental gala here.
A thread can be found here.
Her_Majesty Norwegian Royals Haakon VII, Harald V, Parliament, Prince Haakon, Princess Astrid of Norway, Princess Mette-Marit, Queen Sonja
Yesterday Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit sold coffee and cakes outside their residence Skaugum for the sake of CARE. Their children and Mette-Marit’s brother Espen Hoiby were also seen during this event.
Crown Prince Haakon is a patron of the charity campaign CARE. The money from this year’s television campaign will be used to provide the world’s poorest women the opportunity to fend for themselves.
Click at the image to see it at Side2
About Care:
Care’s vision is to have a world where poverty is overcome and where people live in safety and dignity. It is a nonprofit organization that is working in several of the world’s poorest countries. CARE fights for women’s rights and for everyone to live a decent life.
You can read more about it here: CARE
A thread can be found here: TV campaign CARE 2009
Her_Majesty Norwegian Royals CARE, In-Laws, Marius Borg Høiby, Patronage, Prince Haakon, Prince Sverre Magnus, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Princess Mette-Marit
On September 28th Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway have been interviewed by Christiane Amanpour during her new talkshow at CNN in New York.
CNN’s Christiane Amanpour invited the to her studio in New York, because she thinks that the Royal Couple will help to focus attention on some of today’s important issues.
The interview 12.5 minutes and will be shown in the program, “Amanpour” on CNN International on Friday, October 2nd. Queen Rania of Jordan also showed up at this program.
Click at the image to read an article at VG
Host Christiane Amanpour told VG Nett :
“In this program we focus on the things many people do not know about royalty. The good work they do and the positive influence they have on many humanitarian issues. [...]“
She also said that she was really impressed by the Cp couple:
“They are very eloquent, and good ambassadors for their country.”
The CP couple talked about their main issues: Poverty, justice, dignity and Aids.
You can read more about this interview in this thread.
Her_Majesty Norwegian Royals HIV/AIDS, Humanitarian Efforts, Interview, Prince Haakon, Princess Mette-Marit, United States of America
Click at the image to see it at kongehuset.no
From September 22nd to 24th CP Haakon and CP Mette-Marit payed a visit to Hungary. They attended the opening of Pannon House in Budapest. The visit,started with a meeting with Hungarian President László Sólyom. After the meeting the couple went to Pannon House. There the Crown Princess opened the seminar “Sustainability and Architecture”.
After the opening, the Princess and her husband attended an outdoor exhibition that combined traditional Hungarian crafts and Norwegian meals. In the afternoon the CP couple attended the official opening of Pannon House.
Click at the image to see it at Kjendis.no
The next day the Crown Prince and Crown Princess visited the A-HA program and the Compass project. Both projects have received support from the EEA and Norway Grants. The A-HA program focuses on mental health among adolescents. Compass is a project to help vulnerable young people to find a job. You can find a thread here.
On September 24th Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit traveled to New York to take part in the fifth anniversary meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative. You can find a thread here.
Her_Majesty Norwegian Royals Hungary, Official Visit, Prince Haakon, Princess Mette-Marit, United States of America
Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit visited the youth project “Be proud” of Holmlia in Oslo on Thursday. “Be proud” is one of the two youth projects that were awarded by this year’s funding of the crown princely “Humanitarian Fund”.
Click here to read more about the Humanitary Fund at kongehuset.no
In Holmlia the Crown Prince and Princess met youth representatives of the “Be proud” sub-projects.
After cultural elements and an international dinner the Crown Prince and Princess got the opportunity to speak with representatives of the project “Izzat” . It’s a project against forced marriages and violence.
“Be proud” was started as a project in Holmlia and the southern district Nordstrand in Oslo, but it’s their aim to reach out to other parts of Norway.
Have a look at this thread to read more about the Humanitarian Fund.
Her_Majesty Norwegian Royals Humanitarian Efforts, Patronage, Prince Haakon, Princess Mette-Marit
Prince Haakon and Princess Mette-Marit visited Rogaland on the Royal yacht “Norge” from September 1st to 3rd.
Click at the image to see it at Hello
On their first day the couple visited Utsira and it’s lighthouse. Later the day they visited Siratun, the Vindafjordtunet Care Centre, the Vindafjord millennium site and the Ølen Sports Centre. In the evening they attended an official dinner.
Click at the picture to see it at Side2
During the other two days the Royal payed a visit to Gjesdal. They were seen in the Kongeparken (King’s park) and the EWOS innovation. They also visited the UN-park in Bjerkreim and celebrations at Svelavatnet in Vikeså.
The heavy rain did nothing to deter neither Haakon nor Mette-Marit from meeting the public .
You can find many picture galleries and more information about this visit here.
Her_Majesty Norwegian Royals Prince Haakon, Princess Mette-Marit
Princess Mette-Marit has written the preface of a book about several ‘coming out’ stories of various Norwegians. The book is due to come out in August; and is entitled “Skapsprengerne” (in English: “Those who blow up the closet”). The book deals with tolerance and understanding for homosexuals.
Picture from TRF Avatar Gallery
The book, which will be divided into two parts, presents new research on homosexuality directed at people working with youth, and 17 coming-out stories from different people in Norway. Mette-Marit wrote the preface of the book.
There she says: “I hope that this book will create discussion and reflection about how important it is to be allowed to be a whole human being, and how we can help each other to become just that.”
The book’s editor is the Minister of Children and Equal Rights, Anniken Huitfelt, and senior advisors at her department. The book will be handed out in Norwegian schools.
Her_Majesty Norwegian Royals Princess Mette-Marit
Yesterday, August 4th, Crown Princess Mette-Marit attended the opening of the Hamsun center at Hamarøy.
The opening of the Hamsun Centre in his childhood home place Hamarøy , is part of the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the birth of the Norwegian author Knut Hamsun.
Click at the picture to see it at kongehuset.no
About 2000 visitors attended the opening of the center.
Princess Mette-Marit, who is the patron of the Hamsun year, opened the building.
The museum is the first one in Norway which is dedicated to the author. Hamsun who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920. Hamsun’s talent was overshadowed by his Nazi sympathies in his late years. You can read something about him here.
The building was designed by the American architect Steven Holl.
You can find some pictures of Mette-Marit during the opening here.
Her_Majesty Norwegian Royals Patronage, Princess Mette-Marit
