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Norway

Queen Sonja is this year’s protector of NRK’s charity broadcast

Each year a member of the Norwegian Royal Family becomes the high protector of state television channel NRK’s charity broadcast. This year, it is Her Majesty Queen Sonja.

This year’s charity broadcast will collect money to create a better life for women in some of the world’s most vulnerable areas. Women all over the world are denied fundamental rights and opportunities and are hit hardest by poverty and injustice. They get fewer educational opportunities, have less chance of getting an income and are more often exposed to violence. Therefore, with this year’s TV broadcast, CARE will give women in some of the world’s poorest countries the opportunity to create a better life for themselves and their family.

“Queen Sonja has a strong commitment to this year’s theme, and we are very happy and grateful that the Queen will be the high protector for this year’s TV project”, says General Secretary Gry Larsen of CARE Norway.

HM Queen Sonja. Photo: Oskar Aanmoen / Royal Central.

NRK’s charity broadcast has been arranged one Sunday in October each year since 1974. The TV show from NRK is the world’s largest fundraising campaign and has accumulated over nine billion Norwegian crowns since its inception 45 years ago. This year’s television broadcast will allow women to earn their own money. The collected funds from this year’s telecast will go to CARE’s work in nine countries: Niger, Mali, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Jordan and Palestine.

When members of the Norwegian Royal House become a protector for an organisation or an event, it usually happens for a period of five years; however, this is not the case with the tv charity event. Mostly since its inception in 1974, each broadcast has received its own representative from the Royal House. The first of them was Queen Sonja who opened the very first broadcast in 1974.

Last year, several members of the Royal Family participated in NRK’s charity broadcast. Then, Her Majesty Queen Sonja and Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mette-Marit attended a live all-day show. In 2016, Queen Sonja also donated one of her art pieces, which was auctioned off, and all the revenue went to the Red Cross. In 2017, it was Crown Prince Haakon who served as the protector.

About author

Senior Europe Correspondent Oskar Aanmoen has a master in military and political history of the Nordic countries. He has written six books on historical subjects and more than 1.500 articles for Royal Central. He has also interview both Serbian and Norwegian royals. Aanmoen is based in Oslo, Norway.