The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have concluded their second and final day in Sweden before leaving in the morning for Oslo, Norway, where they will be greeted by Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit.
The day began around 10:30 this morning with the Duke and Duchess, accompanied by Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel, at the Karolinska Institute. There, they met academics and practitioners to discuss the Swedish approach to managing challenges in mental health; additionally, Their Royal Highnesses learned about the Youth Aware of Mental Health programme, for 14-16-year-olds, which is operated by the National Association for Suicide Research and Prevention of Mental Ill Health. The programme “promotes increased knowledge about mental health through dialogue and role-play,” according to Kensington Palace.
Kensington Palace also said that the focus of the visit was on “Sweden’s pioneering work in the field of mental health and children’s well-being, and how children and young teenagers are supported through the Swedish education system.”
The foursome next travelled to the Matteusskolan, a primary school in Vasastan, Stockholm, where they spoke to children who have been involved in the Youth Aware of Mental Health programme. Kungahuset stated, “The program has proven to be effective in a study of more than 11,000 school students in ten EU countries.” The Duke also gave a speech to assembled guests regarding the importance of young people speaking about their mental health.
Their Royal Highnesses then went to NK Department Store for an event focusing on British design with William and Catherine naturally taking the lead in this engagement. There they opened and took part in an interactive exhibit and spoke to representatives from British design and fashion companies.
Afterwards, Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel invited the Duke and Duchess to their home of Haga Palace for tea. The Crown Princess Couple’s two children, five-year-old Princess Estelle and one-year-old Prince Oscar also attended and met William and Catherine. Sweden’s Royal Court later released three images from the private tea to the media.
The royals reunited a few hours later at their final engagement together at the Fotografiska Galleries for a reception to celebrate Swedish culture. Invited guests included those from film, tv, music, the arts and the sports world.
The Duke of Cambridge told those assembled, “It has been a great pleasure to be in Stockholm these last two days. Sweden is a country that holds a very special place in the heart of my family, and for all British people. And our expectations about this beautiful city have been more than fully met!”
He also thanked their hosts for their hospitality and his hopes to return the favour in the United Kingdom soon, “We have encountered a wonderfully warm welcome. We are particularly grateful for the hospitality of Their Majesties The King and Queen, and of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel. We have been very fortunate to have spent much of the past two days in their welcoming company, including at their home in Haga. Thank you for making us feel so welcome. We very much hope we will have the opportunity to repay your generosity in the United Kingdom soon.”
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The Duke and Duchess will receive a short briefing in the morning at Uppsala Airbase regarding the Swedish Armed Forces before taking off for Oslo. Their two-day visit to Norway will begin close to an hour later with an official welcoming at Oslo Gardermoen Airport by Norway’s Crown Prince Couple.
Royal Central‘s Europe Correspondent, Oskar Aanmoen will be on the ground in Oslo.