State Visit from Japan

[Larzen]

10.-13. May 2005

Sources: Kongehuset.no, adressa.no and the Primeminister agenda

Oslo 10. May
14.30 Ceremonial welcome outside the palace
20.00 Gala dinner at the Royal Palace

Oslo 11. May
09.55 The Emperor will visit the Prime Minister
13.00 The goverment will give a lunch at akershus castle
19.00 The Emperor an Empress returndinner at Oslo City Hall

Other events in Oslo but I dont know which day
Visit to the Museum of cultural history, Bygdøy
Visist to a daycarecenter

Trondheim 12. May
12.00 Emperor and Empress arrive at the airport where they will be met by the Norwegian royals that will have arrived with another plane
14.00 Tour of the Archbishops palace then they will have lunch beofre they visit Nidaros cathdral. Then it is planned that the emperor and Empress will make a short walk outside.
In the evening there will be another dinner, this time at the royal residence in Trondheim Stiftsgården

Trondheim 13. May
The will visit a museum before they drive to the University to see fishey projects and have lunch with japanese exchange students.

After that Mette-Marit will join them for a boattrip and visit to the fish market

It is also ruomored that the emperor and Empress wil have a private meeting with the King

I dont think Crown Prince Haakon will take part in the events on the 13. of May as he has to preside the Statecouncil at 12.00 and has another event at 15.00.

The Queen also has a engagement at 17.30 at the westcoast of Norway, but most likely she will atleast join them to the museum

Kongehuset.no does not say if Princess Astrid and Princess Märtha Louise and Ari Behn will take part in the visit, but hopefully we will see them at some of the events in Oslo

The Emperor and Empress had a pressmeeting to talk about the trips to Norway and Ireland. Transcript in english here
http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/epress/epress-05-04e.html

Webpages that I suppose will cover the visit to Trondheim quite well
The local paper in Trondheim
www.adressa.no
NRK-trøndelag
http://www.nrk.no/trondelag/
This paper have something on the visit
http://www.t-a.no/

 

[Larzen]

"Trouble" in Trondheim ahead of the statevisit...

It seems the Emperors private plane a Boeing 747-400 (or accually two identical planes so that he has a spare if something should happen with the first ) is to big for the technical equipment that is available at the rather modest airport in Trondheim. The airports push-back tractor was to smal, so they had to borrow one from the airport in Oslo. The Norwegian royals almost always fly with regular planes....

The merchants at the fishmarket has gotten strict information that they are not allowed to offer the Emperor and Empress any food, nor are they allowed to talk to them unless they are spoken to, but they are still happy about the visit and says they will do their best to tempt them to taste their food...

At Britannia hotel where the Emperor and Empress will stay, the biggest suit at 150 m2 was too smal so they have also gotten the rooms next door to use for their wardrobe. The Emperor and his entourage will use 210 rooms at the hotel

Also the local police is not happy with the visit because it will be extremely expensive and they are not getting extra funding. Every available police in the district will be in Trondheim for the visit. The police calls it their biggest job since Märtha Louise got married in Trondheim. They say that the security wil be professionally handeled but they dont know if it will be posible to do it without going above their budget limits. (Hard to belive Norway is one of the richest countrys in the world... )

sources Vg and Adressa.no

Today the Emperor and Empress departed form Japan, they will first visit Ireland...

 

[HMQueenElizabethII]

Hope there would be lots of pics.

 

[GrandDuchess]

According to Aftenposten, Crown Princess Mette-Marit will meet & greet the Emperor and Empress at Gardemoen Airport, before the transportation to the Royal Palace and the official welcoming ceremony.

 

[HMQueenElizabethII]

Anyone who will lead the Welcoming Ceremony?Prince Haakon or Queen Sonja?

 

[Larzen]

Yes Haakon and The Queen will lead the welcomming ceremony outside the palace, and as GrandDuchess says Mette-Marit will meet them at the airport. The CP Regent and The Queen also hosts the gala tonight in the Kings absence

Aftenposten has an article today and says it is the first time Mette-Marit will have such a prominenet place in a statevisit. She will follow the whole program today. Tomorrow she will be at the Goverments lunch but not the visit to the old folks home and exhibition in City Hall in the evening. Then she will follow the intired program on thursday in Trondheim from the welcomming at Trondheim Airport to the dinner in the evening. On Friday she will accompany the Empreror and Empress alone, because Haakon and The Queen has to be other places in the country

Two pictures in this link
http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/kongelige/article1036009.ece

First picture from the arrival. Mette-Marit greeting the Imperial couple at the airport May 10

 

[HMQueenElizabethII]

Thanks you Larzen.

 

[HMQueenElizabethII]

Thanks for the first photo Larzen!

 

[Larzen]

More from Aftenposten.no
Arrival at the airport and dcortege to the palace May 10th

 

[Alexandria]

Thanks for the pictures Larzen.

I am so opposed to that black flower hairband attached to the side of Mette-Marit's head. I don't mind her "unusual/unique" substitutions for hats now and then (I even didn't mind the head piece she wore to Charles and Camilla's wedding), but this one really tops the cake in its horribleness! At first I thought it was a hairband and I shuddered, but then when I saw the big flower on the side ... the horror!

The pink suit however is nice. You can hardly tell she's pregnant.

 

[agisele]

Actually I would've quite liked it if Mette-Marit had just the headband, sans the flower. It would've looked different to what we're used to seeing from others, but ah well, the flower didn't really do it for me...but i do like her pink suit though!

Article on Mette-Marit and her being the royal hostess to the Emperor and Empress of Japan during their visit to Norway.

http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article1036344.ece

 

[marezdote]

I love her pink suit but the headband ruins the look for me. If she wasn't wearing that it would be wonderful.

 

[Larzen]

The rain was pooring down in Oslo today

Arrival at the airport and welcomming outside the palace MAy 10

 

[liv]

A very bad weather in Oslo today

 

[marezdote]

A very bad weather in Oslo today

Oh my goodness! I wouldn't want to be out in that weather even if I was under a tent.

 

[Larzen]

An more from ANB Princess Astrid was also there
Welcomming outsiede the palace and echange of gifts on May 10th

 

[Larzen]

and yet some more

I think all the ladies look good with the exception of Mette-Marit childish excuse for a hat. The Queen looks good in red and her hat is much better than some of the terrible she has been sporting the last months.

1-4 Official pictures
5 In the rain
May 10th

 

[marezdote]

and yet some more

I think all the ladies look good with the exception of Mette-Marit childish excuse for a hat. THe Queen looks good in red and her hat is much better than some of the hterrible she has been sporting the last months.

i agree that there is a childlike quality to the hat. BTW who is Princess Astrid?

 

[Larzen]

Princess Astrid is the Kings older sister

More from Aftenposten

Hopefully it will be just as many pictures from the gala...

More from the welcomming ceremony in pooring rain May 10th

 

[marezdote]

Princess Astrid is the Kings youngest sister

Thanks Larzen!

 

[Emily]

Oh my gosh -- the rain! Larzen, have you seen on video whether they just went into the palace or did they have to stand there and get soaked? The Emperor and Empress are not young -- I hate to think of them staying around in wet clothes for long!

 

[Anita]

Thanks Larzen for the pics !
I don't like Mette-Marit's hairdo !!

 

[sara1981]

oh my god its rain in Oslo but the HM Queen of Norway and Crown Merit-Marit of Norway and Empress under the tent would be good idea to protect the woman.

Sara Boyce

 

[Reina]

Wow that rain looks like snow.
Anyway I think MM looks lovely. I like her headband. It is kind of artisty.

 

[mandyy]

Their arrival at the airport greeted by the Crown Princess of Norway and their welcoming ceremony at Oslo Palace

 

[mandyy]

More pics from their welcoming ceremony

 

[mandyy]

And more from Oslo

 

[kwanfan]

Wow that rain is incredible! I really like Mette-Marit's suit. I'm on the fence about the flower in her hair.

 

[HMQueenElizabethII]

Great to see Princess Astrid there.I think she'd be at the Banquet too.

 

[pdas1201]

Pics from the Gala.
Aftenposten

IMO, Mette Marit looks absolutely gorgeous, this time I can't think of one thing that's wrong with her ensemble.