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KING HARALD

Here’s how Norway’s King and Queen will celebrate their 80th birthdays

In case you hadn’t noticed, some royal celebrations are taking place in Norway this week.

Published: 9 May 2017 15:10 CEST
Here’s how Norway’s King and Queen will celebrate their 80th birthdays
King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway. Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB scanpix

A number of events for both royal guests and the public will mark the King and Queen's joint birthday in Oslo this week.

Official celebrations begin Tuesday with a display by His Majesty’s Royal Guard at the Slottsplassen square in front of the Royal Palace.

The Royal House has invited the public to attend the event, where birthday songs will be sung to the King and Queen.

King Harald turned 80 on February 21st this year, while Queen Sonja reaches the milestone on July 4th.

Members of the public are encouraged to join the pair in eating ice cream at the Slottsplassen parade, reports NRK.

King Harald and Queen Sonja are scheduled to appear on the balcony of the palace at 6:30pm, where they will be joined by a number of royal guests.

Norwegian actor Bjarte Hjelmeland will then conclude festivities by reading a celebratory speech for the King and Queen.

A royal gala will take place Tuesday evening at the palace, with royal representatives from Norwegian and other royal houses, members of the government and family and friends of the royals invited.

READ ALSO: Norwegian king’s amazing speech on love and diversity

On Wednesday, the King and Queen will host guests on their royal yacht the Norge before the Royal Guard marches from the palace through the city to the Oslo Opera House via Karl-Johans gate and the Jernbanetorget plaza.

The mini-cruise around the Oslofjord on board the Norge will also give the public a chance to spot the royals and their guests as they go on board at the Honnørbrygga jetty near Oslo City Hall.

Here they will be accompanied by guests from the Danish royal family, who have travelled to Norway for the occasion on their own royal ship, the Dannebrog, which can currently be spotted docked at Akershus Fortress.

After the Guard has marched through town, the King and Queen themselves will follow, being driven through Oslo from the Palace to the Opera House.

Police have warned Oslo residents that it might be an idea to leave cars at home due to the thousands expected on the streets during the parade.

Traffic in the capital is expected to be “heavily congested,” reports Aftenposten.

“For the traffic department, it will be one of the biggest operations for quite, quite some time. We are preparing for the events with style and a smile. The police want to make everything run as smoothly as possible. On both Tuesday and Wednesday there will be a lot of road closures in the centre, but we will open again as soon as we can,” department leader and chief officer Finn Erik Grønli of Oslo Police told the newspaper.

Celebrations at Oslo Opera House will be concluded with fireworks at 10:30pm.

WORKING IN SWEDEN

Swedish Royal Guards scrap ceremonial helmets over safety concerns

The King’s mounted Royal Guards will no longer be able to wear their iconic ceremonial helmets on parades, after the Swedish Work Environment Authority warned of serious safety concerns.

Published: 7 July 2023 13:53 CEST
Swedish Royal Guards scrap ceremonial helmets over safety concerns

“We take the safety of our employees extremely seriously and we are going to address this immediately,” colonel Stefan Nacksten, head of the Royal Guards, wrote in a statement. 

Employed by the Armed Forces, the Royal Guards are the King’s cavalry and infantry units and are a well-known sight at ceremonies in Sweden, including at the changing of the guard at the Royal Palace of Stockholm every day in summer – a popular spectacle for Stockholmers and tourists alike.

The helmets will no longer be used by Royal Guards on horseback from July 7th, as they do not conform to safety standards for riding helmets, although guards parading on foot will still be permitted to wear them.

They are part of the 1895 parade uniforms and were last modified in 2000. The Armed Forces will now create an entirely new helmet which looks the part, but is also safe for riding.

“We’re working on finding an alternative solution as quickly as possible which meets safety requirements and can also be used during parades,” Nacksten said.

“We’ve been working long-term with this issue but now that it has been assessed [by the Swedish Work Environment Authority] we need to take measures immediately,” he added.

“This is good, and now we’re working to make sure something good comes out of this and we can get a safe riding helmet for parades in place as soon as possible.”

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