Duke and Duchess of Cambridge: Official Visit to Norway - February 1-2, 2018

[ROYAL NORWAY]

https://www.royal.uk/sweden-and-norway-statement-communications-secretary-duke-and-duchess-cambridge

February 1th
The Duke and Duchess will land in Norway at Oslo Gardermoen Airport in the late morning, where they will be met by Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit. From there, Their Royal Highnesses will travel directly to the Royal Palace, where The Duke and Duchess will stay at the invitation of King Harald and Queen Sonja.

On arrival at the Royal Palace, The Duke and Duchess will be officially welcomed to Norway by The King and Queen by way of a luncheon, which will also be attended by other members of The Royal Family. Following this, Their Royal Highnesses will visit the Princess Ingrid Alexandra Sculpture Park within the Palace Gardens, which opened last year in the name of Princess Ingrid Alexandra to mark the 25th anniversary of The King's reign. The sculptures, of which there are now four, are designed by and for children, through cartoon competitions in schools across the country. During this visit, The Duke and Duchess will have the opportunity to meet members of the public gathered in the park.

Later that afternoon, The Duke and Duchess, accompanied by Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit, will attend an event held at MESH, a co-working space for entrepreneurs and start-up companies to grow their businesses and thrive in a creative environment. Encouraging entrepreneurship and innovation are high priorities for Norway and the UK, with plenty of exciting collaboration across the North Sea. Their Royal Highnesses will meet a number of Norwegian and UK companies based at MESH showcasing their work, and will see how some start-ups are tackling issues such as the environment, and mental health and wellbeing, in new and engaging ways.

That evening, The Duke and Duchess have been invited by Their Majesties to an official dinner in their honour at the Royal Palace. The dinner will be attended by members of government, leaders in business and those from the Norwegian creative industries. There will also be serving members and veterans from the Norwegian Armed Forces, who will be introduced to Their Royal Highnesses. Both King Harald and The Duke will speak at the dinner.

February 2th
The final day of the tour will begin at the Hartvig Nissen School, which was the location for the hugely successful Norwegian television programme 'Skam'. Skam is a drama series highlighting teenagers and the challenges young people can experience growing up, such as identity issues, bullying, relationships, sexual assault, and eating disorders. Following on from the theme lines of the show, the characters started their own social media profiles to engage with the audience watching directly, creating an international following and fan base. At the school, Their Royal Highnesses will meet the stars and producers of Skam to hear more about the series, and will then meet students to learn about the effect Skam had on bringing these issues out into the open, and the role played by social media.

Later that morning, The Duke and Duchess will travel to Skaugum, the official residence of The Crown Prince and Princess of Norway, for a private lunch.

The final engagements of the tour will take place in the beautiful setting of Holmenkollen, the snowy hills that overlook the city of Oslo. Here, Their Royal Highnesses, accompanied by The Crown Prince and Princess, will see how Norwegians embrace the outdoors in the coldest of temperatures, and champion the importance of exercise and wellbeing.

The Duke and Duchess will firstly visit Holmenkollen's most iconic landmark – the Holmenkollen Ski Jump. With panoramic views over the city, the ski jump is truly impressive in its size, and has capacity for more than 70,000 spectators. Here, Their Royal Highnesses will walk through the Holmenkollen ski museum and then watch a demonstration from some of Norway's top under-18 ski jumpers, before meeting them at the top of the ski jump. No country has won more Winter Olympics medals than Norway, and as excitement builds around the forthcoming Games in South Korea, Their Royal Highnesses are looking forward to learning more about how the Norwegians have maintained this record.

The Duke and Duchess will then attend an event organised by the Norwegian Ski Federation, at which Their Royal Highnesses will see a group of local nursery children taking part in an afternoon ski school session on the slopes. The Duke and Duchess will join children taking part in a number of outdoors activities, from experiencing Sami tents, to roasting sausages on an open fire. Their Royal Highnesses will also speak to some of the ski instructors that deliver sessions throughout the year to keep children active and engaged with sport as well as visit the adjoining nursey.

From Holmenkollen, The Duke and Duchess will depart for the airport, and on to London.

In Norwegian:
Offisielt besøk fra Storbritannia - kongehuset.no

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

More information about the visit from me:

Muhler wrote this in the ''Prince Harry: Official Visit to Denmark'' thread in October:

With all due respect for Harry, he has a good press in DK, and a pretty good public image, but he's no superstar.
We have our own royal family and they are the superstars - of course. Especially M&F.
After the DRF comes the Swedish and Norwegian families, followed closely I think, by the Dutch royals.

It's a little different here in Norway.

The BRF's popularity in Norway - 4 points about it:

1. The BRF is undoubtedly the second most known and second most popular Royal family here after our own, then followed by the DRF and the SRF. - ABC article with a quote translated by me:
https://www.abcnyheter.no/reise/ins...er-du-kommer-tettere-pa-de-britiske-kongelige

Norwegians show sky-high interest in the British royal family, and 2018 is going to be an eventful year.

2. But are the Cambridges superstars here (as they are in many countries without a monarchy)? No, they are not.

3. As one can read in the ''Norway: Republic or monarchy'' thread or in the various ''King Harald and Queen Sonja'' threads, there are one superstar in Norway and that is HM the King (who is enormously popular here).

4. The CP couple have their problems (as one also can read in the ''Norway: Republic or monarchy'' thread), but I hope they will give a good impression during this visit (not to William and Kate, but to Norwegians).

The Norwegian media coverage of this visit:

TV2 - Norway's largest commercial media company:

TV2 News Channel (Norway's only news channel) will have live coverage of all the events with their excellent royal expert Kjell Arne Totland.

NRK - The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation is the state-owned radio and television public broadcasting company, and the largest media organisation in Norway:

NRK1 (Norway's oldest and largest television channel), sent most of the engaagements live when Charles and Camilla were her in 2012, but I'm not sure if they will do the same during this visit (perhaps some of it will be sent on NRK2).

Royal dinners at the Royal Palace in Oslo:

Gala dinners at the Royal Palace are always white tie events and is held for:

1. Milestone royal birthdays. The procession into the Banqueting Hall was televised by NRK1 durring the King and Queen's Silver Wedding Anniversary in 1993 and the 70th Birthday of the King in 2007 (their 60th birthdays was celebrated in Trondheim due to renovations at the palace). The greetings, procession and speeches was televised by NRK1 and TV2's main channel during the wedding in 2001 and by NRK1 and TV2 News Channel during the King and Queen's 80th Birthdays in 2017.

2. The MPs in the Storting (called the stortingsdinner) in October each year. The procession and speeches is always televised by TV2 News Channel (also by NRK2 in 2017).

3. Foreign ambassadors living in Oslo - every other year. Private, but the procession was filmed by NTB (Norsk Telegrambyrå/Norwegian News Agency) in 2016.

4. Foreign heads of states during state visits. The procession and speeches is always televised by TV2 News Channel.

Official dinners at the Royal Palace are always black tie and is held for:

1. Royals (usually not the monarch).

2. Heads of States who are not on a state visits.

The official black tie dinner at the Royal Palace for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge:

1. The dinner will be attended by members of government, leaders in business and those from the Norwegian creative industries. There will also be serving members and veterans from the Norwegian Armed Forces.

2. The procession and speeches will be televised by TV2 News Channel (which was also the case during the black tie dinner held for Charles and Camilla in 2012). There are rumors that NRK will do the same (either on NRK1 or NRK2).

 

[Somebody]

Sounds like we can expect formal dress on the first day and less formal (including outdoor) on the second.

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

NTB article for ABC and other media outlets with google translation and two quotes translated by me:
Bred mediedekning av kongelig besøk til Norge - translation

Royal visits are always popular, but several of those involved in the planning confirmes to NTB that the Duke and Duchess are stars in a class for themselves, especially the pregnant Kate.

Already five days before the deadline for accreditation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can report that TV teams from Japan, media oulets from Germany and Denmark and all international news agencies are already registered. At the palace, they also notice the interest.

"So far, there has been great international interest. We have had inquiries from European media. We have also been contacted by the Chinese press," says Sven Gjeruldsen, Deputy Communications Manager at the royal court.

The British embassy in Norway has their share of the pressure, with great interest from the British press. They emphasize that they are really looking forward to the visit.

Read post 1 for information from Kensington Palace and post 2 for information from me.

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

Princess Ingrid Alexandra celebrates her 14th birthday - Norway Today

When Prince William and Dutchess Kate come to Norway early this February, they will visit Princess Ingrid Alexandra’s sculpture park. The royal couple and the Crown Prince will be there, but it will be both the princess and Queen Sonja, who will conduct the tour.

With massive interest from the media world, this will probably the most attention the 14-year-old from Norway will experience so far in her life.

Prior to the accreditation deadline for press and other media expires Wednesday, requests from all over Europe and even from Japan and China have already been received.

The stuff in the bold quote is incorrectly translated by Norway Today. - Why? Because they don't mention the fact that the Crown Princess will be there as well.

TV2 article with quotes translated by me:
Stolt pappa Haakon delte bursdags-bilde av sin prinsesse

When the Duke and Duchess come to Norway in early February, they will visit Princess Ingrid Alexandra's sculpture park, where she herself will be responsible for the tour.

"She will be able to do that in a brilliant way, especially because she is going to show them along with her grandma, Queen Sonja, who in many ways has become her most important mentor next to her parents. We also remember how natural the princess was in front of all the guests at the King and Queen's 80th birthday celebrations.

The King and the Crown Prince Couple will be there, but it is the princess who together with Queen Sonja is in charge of the tour. Now that the princess goes to an international private school, she is used to speaking English, and that is part of the preparations for her international engagements,'' TV2's royal expert Kjell Arne Totland explains.

‏Read my above post for more information about the great international media interest for this visit:

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

More facts about the visit from me:

1. The Duke and Duchess will stay in the 'King Haakon Suite' (the palace's finest guest suite). All visiting heads of states have stayed in that suite (including QEII). It has also been used for official royal guests such as Charles and Camilla in 2012. The suite consists of a lounge, two bedrooms and a bathroom. The suite’s lounge is decorated with portraits of the Bernadotte family, which was the reigning House of Norway from 1818 until 1905.

Photo of the main bedroom in the suite:
https://dbstatic.no/64220756.jpg?imageId=64220756&x=0&y=0&cropw=100&croph=100&width=1024&height=683

2. NTB article for ABC and other media outlets with google translation and a quote translated by me:
Oppholdsvær venter Kate og William - translation

Currently it appears that Duke and Duchess can experience Norwegian winter weather at its best, if only the wind does not turn or take off.

3. Another fact is that (unlike the Swedish part of the visit), the King and Queen will be the hosts. They will as one can see in my above posts participate in several events of the visit.

 

[Mbruno]

More facts about the visit from me:


3. Another fact is that (unlike the Swedish part of the visit), the King and Queen will be the hosts. They will as one can see in my above posts participate in several events of the visit.

That is nice on the part of the King and Queen and a sign of esteem for William and Kate, but isn't it wrong in terms of protocol ? William is not a Head of State and he is of lower rank than the King. In my humble opinion, the Swedish Court's approach is more proper.

 

[AdmirerUS]

Thanks to all sharing such excellent details and background about the visit.

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

That is nice on the part of the King and Queen and a sign of esteem for William and Kate, but isn't it wrong in terms of protocol ? William is not a Head of State and he is of lower rank than the King. In my humble opinion, the Swedish Court's approach is more proper.

I don't think there are any protocols in the Norwegian court when it comes to this.

Some facts about protocols when it comes to royal official visits to Scandinavia:

The Scandinavian official visit of Charles and Camilla in 2012 to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of QEII:

1. When Charles and Camilla visited Norway, the King and Queen participated in all events.

2. When they visited Sweden, King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia also participated in most of the events.

3. But that was not the case when they visited Denmark. There, QMII gave a black tie dinner while the CP couple participated in the other events.

The Danish CP couple's Business Visit to Sweden in 2017 - described by the Swedish court as an official visit:

King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia gave a Luncheon while the CP couple participated in the other events.

What does this tell us?

1. That Charles and Camilla get to be accompanied by the monarch/consort in Norway and Sweden, but not in Denmark.

2. That the Danish CP couple didn't get to be accompanied by the monarch/consort in Sweden (although they are at the same rank as Charles and Camilla). And yes, that could of course have somthing to do with the fact that Charles and Camilla are closer in age to King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia.

BTW: As a Norwegian (and we are not known to bothered with protocol), I have to admit that I like how we are doing things here in Norway.

Thanks to all sharing such excellent details and background about the visit.

You're very welcome! And there is much more to come.

More about the visit:

NTB article for iTromsø and other media outlets with google translation and a quote translated by me:
Kronprins Haakon og prins William sjekker ut helikopter sammen -itromso.no - translation

Crown Prince Haakon and Prince William will check out helicopters together.

When the helicopter pilot Prince William and his wife come to Oslo next week, he will take a closer look at one of the two new rescue helicopters in Norway.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

It's a little different here in Norway.

The BRF's popularity in Norway - 4 points about it:

1. The BRF is undoubtedly the second most known and second most popular Royal family here after our own, then followed by the DRF and the SRF. [...]

At the palace, they also notice the interest.

"So far, there has been great international interest. We have had inquiries from European media. We have also been contacted by the Chinese press," says Sven Gjeruldsen, Deputy Communications Manager at the royal court.

I wonder whether the popularity of the British royal family in Norway started with Queen Maud. Hopefully, the "great international interest" will be advantageous to Norway as well.

 

[JR76]

I wonder whether the popularity of the British royal family in Norway started with Queen Maud. Hopefully, the "great international interest" will be advantageous to Norway as well.

Maud being the daughter of the King of England was seen as a major advantage by the seafaring nation of Norway and was one of the reasons they looked to her husband after Carl of Sweden had turned down the offer of the crown.

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

I wonder whether the popularity of the British royal family in Norway started with Queen Maud. Hopefully, the "great international interest" will be advantageous to Norway as well.

I think the BRF being the second most known and second most popular Royal family here after our own, has more to do with the fact that it's the most prestigious and well known royal family in the world.

In Denmark (as people here can see in post 2, where I quote a post from Muhler) they are most interested in the Scandinavian royal families after their own. - Why is that not the case in Norway?

1. We don't have royal magazines such as BILLED-BLADET or Svensk Damtidning.

2. The television stations and the papers (with the exception of big events/happenings) don't cover the Danish/Swedish royals.

Maud being the daughter of the King of England was seen as a major advantage by the seafaring nation of Norway and was one of the reasons they looked to her husband after Carl of Sweden had turned down the offer of the crown.

That's right, but (as you probably know) the Norwegian government first offered the throne to King Oscar II's son Prince Carl of Sweden (the father of the later Crown Princess Märtha of Norway) as part of a reconciliation policy from the Norwegian side.

 

[duchessrachel]

Royal Norway,
Will there be any tiara occasions on this visit? I am hoping so since the Scandinavian Royal families seem to like their tiaras better than the British Royal family.

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

No, it wont! Why? Because this is not a state visit from a head of state.

See post 2 in this thread for more information of royal dinners at the Royal Palace in Oslo.

 

[duchessrachel]

No, it wont! Why? Because this is not a state visit from a head of state.

See post 2 in this thread for more information of royal dinners at the Royal Palace in Oslo.

Thanks. I will read it.

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

You're very welcome!

I wrote this in post 2:

The Norwegian media coverage of this visit:

TV2 - Norway's largest commercial media company:

TV2 News Channel (Norway's only news channel) will have live coverage of all the events with their excellent royal expert Kjell Arne Totland.

NRK - The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation is the state-owned radio and television public broadcasting company, and the largest media organisation in Norway:

NRK1 (Norway's oldest and largest television channel), sent most of the engaagements live when Charles and Camilla were her in 2012, but I'm not sure if they will do the same during this visit (perhaps some of it will be sent on NRK2).

We have it: In addition to all the events being sent live on TV2 News Channel, NRK2 will send live from 11:30 to 17:00 and again from 19:00 to 20:30 on February 1th and from 10:00 to 17:00 on February 2th.

The official black tie dinner at the Royal Palace: As one also can read in post 2, the procession and speeches will be sent live.

From me: The television coverage is enormous (on the same scale as it was when Obama was here in 2009 and QEII in 2001).

The Swedish coverage: According to the TV Guide, nothing is planned on SVT1/2 or on TV4 during the Swedish part of the visit.

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

More about the visit:

A really interesting article from Aftenposten with inputs from the Norwegian professor Jan Erik Mustad and the British commentator Richard Fitzwilliams. - It's really worth a read and the google translation is quite good:
Er norgesbesøket egentlig en sjarmoffensiv før brexit? - translation

Fitzwilliams say that sending the British royals on tour means a lot of attention, which will be positive for both the British couple and the host country. The underlying thing is that "politicians come and go, but the royal consists".

Yes, it will be positive. - Why?

1. Because it is exciting with a British royal visit.

2. It could mean more tourists.

But I (for one) don't think it will be that many advantages. - Why?

1. Because Norway (a welfare state known for being the best Democracy in the world) is already on the map due to our amazing culture, nature, fjords, mountains, fishing-villages, small wooden-towns (such as Røros, who is a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and the stave churches etc.

2. Because they are only visiting Oslo, which doesn't have that much magnificent nature to offer, but the visit can (of cource) get people to find out more about other places in Norway.

Brexit: Mustad and Fitzwilliams have no doubts that the visits are related to brexit (which I agree with), but there will be no meeting with Prime Minister Erna Solberg. - Another quote from the article:

Aftenposten, however, knows that from the Norwegian side, it is seen as a visit without political overtones or undertones. Apart from during the dinner, no meetings with Norwegian politicians are planned.

Why? Because according to TV2, the Brits did not want any meeting.

Edit: After reading through this post, I decided to make some changes. - Why? Because I think I was a bit harsh towards the Cambridges (who I really like) when I wrote (as a response to Richard Fitzwilliams) that we didn't need them to come.

 

[AdmirerUS]

Thanks for that link - I learned much.

However, I disagree with ""The whole point of these is linked to brexit," says Fitzwilliams to Aftenposten."

There is a lot of hyperbole in the Press these days. In my country, I swear someone always comments on an issue about how our Pres. caused it, reacted to it, will spin it, will use it for or against rivals... and on and on. And I don't mean to speak about my Pres. but just point out that there are issues that serve as a lens through which we see things. Brexit, rightly, is that important that it is a lens.

But it is all opinion. And the reality is that what Catherine, MM and Sonja will get more coverage than Brexit. Fashion as a lens for focusing press coverage.

Sure the Cambridges will be charming, as the NRF will be. But that's the point. When one is seen as charming it all goes a bit more smoothly.

And I also think they network and benchmark with one another: for new ideas, for reassurance, for cautions, for a vague mentoring.

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

Thanks for that link - I learned much.

However, I disagree with ""The whole point of these is linked to brexit," says Fitzwilliams to Aftenposten."

You're very welcome!

No, the ''whole'' point of these visits are not linked to brexit, but much of it is (at least IMO).

Jan Erik Mustad explained it bether than Fitzwilliams:

However, the first-language professor of English at the University of Agder, Jan Erik Mustad, has no doubt that the visits are related to brexit, although he points out that it is not the only reason they are coming.

And then to the coverage:

But it is all opinion. And the reality is that what Catherine, MM and Sonja will get more coverage than Brexit. Fashion as a lens for focusing press coverage.

I agree with you when it comes to the British media/press (which I think was the one you meant), but that's not the case with the Norwegian media/press.

The Norwegian television stations: They are not that keen on fashion when it comes to royal events, and it's always the King who gets most of the coverage (also when he is together with the royal ladies).

An example is the May 17th (National Day) celebrations in 2017: NRK's camera followed the King alone when he walked from one side to the other on the palace-balcony (not Sonja or MM, not even Ingrid or Sverre).

The Norwegian papers: Some of them have their own fachon sites, but they are generally not that keen on fashion when it comes to royal events. - And it's always the King who gets most of the coverage (also when he is together with the royal ladies).

The TV Coverage: What will the Norwegian commentators talk about during the visit? Brexit (a lot of it), QEII, Diana, the future of the British monarchy and the ridiculous ''Could the throne go to William, Skipping Prince Charles'' thing.

The papers: What will the Norwegian papers write about during the visit? Brexit (a lot of it), QEII, Diana, the future of the British monarchy, the ridiculous ''Could the throne go to William, Skipping Prince Charles'' thing and yes, fashion (but not much).

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

Telegraph article from Jan 27:
Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to be given tour of Sweden and Norway by their young Royal counterparts to 'build relationships of the future'

Jason Knauf, communications secretary for the Duke and Duchess, said of the trip, which is undertaken at the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office: "From our perspective, it's a chance for Their Royal Highnesses to build a strong relationship with the Royal families of each country, and particularly the Royals of their generation who they will know throughout their lives.

“Those close relationships between countries on a people-to-people level are something that Royal visits are particularly good at highlighting.”

Express article from Jan 28 (very similar to that above), for those who don't have a Telegraph subscription:
William and Kate to 'bond over kids' with Scandinavian Royalty on first official tour

NTB article for NRK and other media outlets with google translation and quotes translated by me:
Oslo-besøket: Her kan du møte William og Kate - translation

According to the police, the public will be given the opportunity to be close to William and Kate when the British royals visit Oslo on Thursday and Friday.

The best opportunity will probably be the tour of Princess Ingrid Alexandra's Sculpture Park, located in the Palace Park. The royals will be there after lunch on Thursday, and the palace goes out with an open invitation to everyone.

"It's really nice if people show up," says Sven Gjeruldsen, Deputy Communications Manager at the royal court to NTB.

1. As I've said in other threads, yes, the King is without any doubt the most popular head of state (in his own country) and the support for the Norwegian monarchy is at a record-high right now (despite the bad choices of the CP-couple), but we are a laid-back country and we are not known for showing up in large crowds for royal celebrations/tours. - Why? Some of it has to do with the Law of Jante (which is much more present in Norway than in the other Scandinavian countries).

Read about it in these posts: http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/f16/norway-republic-or-monarchy-17117-7.html#post2051615

Wikipedia article: Law of Jante

2. But we were surprised during the Silver Jubilee in 2016 when 40-50 thousand people showed up (on January 17th) in the freezing weather to see the King and Queen. - And there are always large crowds for Their Majesties when they are on their county-trips (especially during the Silver Jubilee and 80th birthdays tours).

3. Will there be crowds for the Cambridges? Of course there will be some people who want to se them, but I think it would be an exaggeration to call it crowds.

Another quote from the NTB article above:

Even with 144 accredited press people to cover the visit, the officers in Oslo police district assure that the public will be able to see the royals.

As one can read in post 4, the media interest has been enormous.

 

[Mbruno]

Telegraph article from Jan 27:
Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to be given tour of Sweden and Norway by their young Royal counterparts to 'build relationships of the future'

Express article from Jan 28 (very similar to that above), for those who don't have a Telegraph subscription:
William and Kate to 'bond over kids' with Scandinavian Royalty on first official tour

NTB article for NRK and other media outlets with google translation and quotes translated by me:
Oslo-besøket: Her kan du møte William og Kate - translation

1. As I've said in other threads, yes, the King is without any doubt the most popular head of state (in his own country) and the support for the Norwegian monarchy is at a record-high right now (despite the bad choices of the CP-couple), but we are a laid-back country and we are not known for showing up in large crowds for royal celebrations/tours. - Why? Some of it has to do with the Law of Jante (which is much more present in Norway than in the other Scandinavian countries).

Read about it in these posts: http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/f16/norway-republic-or-monarchy-17117-7.html#post2051615

Wikipedia article: Law of Jante

2. But we were surprised during the Silver Jubilee in 2016 when 40-50 thousand people showed up (on January 17th) in the freezing weather to see the King and Queen. - And there are always large crowds for Their Majesties when they are on their county-trips (especially during the Silver Jubilee and 80th birthdays tours).

3. Will there be crowds for the Cambridges? Of course there will be some people who want to se them, but I think it would be an exaggeration to call it crowds.

Another quote from the NTB article above:

As one can read in post 4, the media interest has been enormous.

I can't help noticing the differences in the Swedish and Norwegian programs.

• In Sweden: staying at the British ambassador's residence, lunch with the King and Queen, and no local TV coverage.
• In Norway: staying as guests at the Royal Palace, official dinner with the King and Queen, and lots of local TV coverage.

Is it only my impression or the Swedes in particular are downplaying this official visit ?

On the point above in the Telegraph article that the goal of the visit is for William and Kate to bond with Scandinavian royals of similar age (most notably the Swedes), that is fine, but why didn't the BRF do that while William and Harry were growing up ?

It is well known that Madeleine and William were born one month apart and that Victoria is only 5 years older, and CP three years older. Many royal watchers even thought that William would marry Madeleine one day when they both grew up. However, as Madeleine said once in an interview she gave already as an adult, she actually had never been introduced to either William or Harry. In fact, even today, I am not sure they have already formally met. Victoria and Daniel attended William's wedding, so I suppose they were introduced to each other on that occasion, but I don't recall them being together in any other occasion besides William's wedding.

I was particularly struck by Lady Finn's post on CP Victoria being briefed by the Swedish Foreign Ministry on the current political situation in the UK ahead of William and Kate's visit. Although that may be a standard procedure before any official visit, I can't imagine the Swedish RF taking it so strictly professionally and "business-like" so to speak if it were a visit from European royals they are closer to and if the shadow of Brexit were not hanging over the visit as it is. I feel like the Norwegians seem to be much warmer given perhaps the proximity between King Harald and Queen Sonja and Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles.

 

[wyevale]

The [then] 'young Princes' were given a protected upbringing, and especially once at School and after their Mothers tragic death, had no contact with Foreign Royals whatsoever. Outside observers may [or may not] consider this an error, but it was a decision made by those that knew them best [and had their 'best interests at heart']...

I'm not sure anyone else is really in a good position to question the wisdom of their decision.

 

[Mbruno]

The [then] 'young Princes' were given a protected upbringing, and especially once at School and after their Mothers tragic death, had no contact with Foreign Royals whatsoever. Outside observers may [or may not] consider this an error, but it was a decision made by those that knew them best [and had their 'best interests at heart']...

I'm not sure anyone else is really in a good position to question the wisdom of their decision.

Quoting from the Telegraph article:

In Sweden they will be accompanied by Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel, while in Norway they will be escorted by Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit.

Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel attended the Royal Wedding in 2011, but it is understood the Duke and Duchess do not know either very well.

Also, they have never met the Crown Prince and Princess of Norway.

I am afraid the Brits may be trying too hard to forge a relationship or bond between the Cambridges and the Scandinavian CP couples, which doesn't exist as of today, and should have emerged naturally instead over the years.

I know Kate got on very well with the royals in Luxembourg and the Netherlands when she went there solo and was very charming. I am not so confident about William's social skills though, but I am looking forward to seeing how this Scandinavian tour will unfold.

 

[wyevale]

^ And has the Sky fallen because of this ?

William is not yet heir..but now relationships can be made, and [hopefully] good ones...

 

[Dman]

Both Charles and Diana made sure to bond their family with the Greek and Spanish royal families. They took William and Harry to vacation with them. I think once their marriage broke up, things changed. Of course they weren’t taking family vacations like they used to.

William, Catherine and Harry’s relationships with foreign royals could’ve been established already. The Queen would only send the Wessex’s to foreign royal events. So the Wessex’s have the established relationships. I guess this is now changing now that the Cambridge’s are full time working royals and now participants in State Events. Also now that William is being groomed for his future role.

 

[Mbruno]

Both Charles and Diana made sure to bond their family with the Greek and Spanish royal families. They took William and Harry to vacation with them. I think once their marriage broke up, things changed. Of course they weren’t taking family vacations like they used to.

William, Catherine and Harry’s relationships with foreign royals could’ve been established already. The Queen would only send the Wessex’s to foreign royal events. So the Wessex’s have the established relationships. I guess this is now changing now that the Cambridge’s are full time working royals and now participants in State Events. Also now that William is being groomed for his future role.

Maybe I'm being too political or skeptical, but I suspect the Swedes in particular believe that this official visit has some hidden agenda connected with Brexit and that explains why the Crown Princess is being briefed by the Foreign Ministry, among other things, on the "current political situation in the UK" ahead of her meeting with the Cambridges. They are clearly seeing it as a diplomatic visit and not as trip to forge bonds between families as the Brits are describing it. The Norwegians seem to be more relaxed about the visit, maybe because they have the benefit of not being EU members and not having any say then on the Brexit negotiations.

 

[Dman]

Maybe I'm being too political or skeptical, but I suspect the Swedes in particular believe that this official visit has some hidden agenda connected with Brexit and that explains why the Crown Princess is being briefed by the Foreign Ministry, among other things, on the "current political situation in the UK" ahead of her meeting with the Cambridges. They are clearly seeing it as a diplomatic visit and not as trip to forge bonds between families as the Brits are describing it. The Norwegians seem to be more relaxed about the visit, maybe because they have the benefit of not being EU members and not having any say then on the Brexit negotiations.

Yes, of course this visit from the Cambridge’s have something to do with Brexit. The royals are sent to conduct soft diplomacy on these trips. It’s also an opportunity for the Cambridge’s and their royal counterparts to get to know each other.

We’ve had these conversations before on how the younger British royals should become more familiar with their royal counterparts. This can’t happen if the Wessex’s are the main ones that’s being sent to European royal events and not second in line to the thrine and future Queen Consort.

 

[xenobia]

Maybe I'm being too political or skeptical, but I suspect the Swedes in particular believe that this official visit has some hidden agenda connected with Brexit and that explains why the Crown Princess is being briefed by the Foreign Ministry, among other things, on the "current political situation in the UK" ahead of her meeting with the Cambridges. They are clearly seeing it as a diplomatic visit and not as trip to forge bonds between families as the Brits are describing it. The Norwegians seem to be more relaxed about the visit, maybe because they have the benefit of not being EU members and not having any say then on the Brexit negotiations.

The royals are always briefed by the Foreign Ministry (UD in Swedish) before foreign royals or heads of state are visiting, so the briefing in itself doesn't say anything about how this visit is viewd.

 

[JR76]

Not the right thread for it but now that you're talking about Sweden I wanted to comment.
The Swedish Royal Family is always briefed before a State & Official visit no matter if its from Finland, Denmark or Mongolia.
This is a visit by representatives of the British government and it's being treated as such. If the Cambridges just came to hang with the Västergötlands they'd be sneaked into the country like other Royal friends have been before.
Regarding the tv-coverage there's rarely any at all regarding foreign visitors unless it's someone very special like Barack Obama a few years ago. I'm sure there'll be a few snippets in the news but nothing much. It's not the way national news works in Sweden. If they mention anything I'm quite sure Brexit will be the main focus.

 

[wyevale]

hidden agenda connected with Brexit

ALL the visits undertaken by the Cambridge's last year in Europe were OPENLY part of a 'charm offensive' ordained by the Foreign Office in the light of our decision to leave the EU.. NOTHING 'hidden' about it whatsoever..