On Thursday, King Harald and Queen Sonja completed their three-day visit to Nordland. After spending two days traveling in northern Norway, the royal visit ended in the Moskenes. The tour began on Tuesday when the King and Queen visited Sørfoll and Steigen. Wednesday the two royals were in Værøy and Røst. When the royal yacht “Norge” arrived at Moskenes, the King and Queen received flowers.
It was the five-year-olds Sigrid and Simen who had the honour of wishing Their Majesties a warm welcome together with the mayor. Local residents were impressed that the two 80-year-old royals have as active a life as they have. Norwegian television NRK spoke to 80-year-old fishermen who said, “The King is in good shape. It is admirable”.
The royal yacht “KS Norge” is anchored outside of Moskenes. Photo: Sven Gj. Gjeruldsen, Det kongelige hoff.
On the square in the centre of the municipality, there was a large cultural celebration, initiated by cellist Lisa Holstad from Sørvågen. Then, the students at Sørvågen school sang the “Moskenessangen”, and Deputy Mayor Laila Kristiansen read poems from the story of Tennes Kaspara. Then came 13-year-old Maria who danced for the King and Queen.
After many good cultural performances, King Harald held a speech to the municipality’s inhabitants. In his remarks, the King said, “We are grateful for the warm welcome we have received – and look forward to the rest of the day with many of you. When a new summer season stands in front of us; take care of Reine and Lofoten so many generations can experience the magic here in the north!”
From the party in Moskenes. Photo: Sven Gj. Gjeruldsen, Det kongelige hoff.
King Harald and Queen Sonja took time to speak briefly with the press at their last destination. A special event from the three-day-long visit was that the King and Queen played a video game with the local children on the first day of the visit. The King claimed that the Queen had to have had practised on the game before they arrived because she was too good at playing it. NRK asked the King and Queen if they played a lot of computer games at the Royal Palace. His Majesty replied, “Some may do it, but I do not.”
King Harald and Queen Sonja plays with the local children. Photo: Sven Gj. Gjeruldsen, Det kongelige hoff / The Royal Court.
The final thing the King and Queen did was to learn more about the local business community – something they have done every single day on this three-day journey. There the royals got to see how the tourism industry in the north is. The King and Queen also visited a seafood restaurant where they could taste food from local producers.
The visit was formally concluded Thursday evening. Then King Harald and Queen Sonja hosted a dinner aboard the royal yacht. There, representatives from the five municipalities involved in the visit were invited.
