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Norway

A hectic day for King Harald as the 84-year-old King returns to full-time royal duties

harald norway

After a period marked by illness and absence, King Harald of Norway is back at work full time. On Monday, His Majesty attended an event at the football club Vålerenga. Tuesday also turned out to be a hectic day for the 84-year-old monarch. The King hosted lunch at the Royal Palace before attending an award ceremony later that day.

It is a tradition that the King and Queen invite new ambassadors to lunch, but due to the global health crisis and strict infection control rules, it has not been possible to carry out such events at the Palace. His Majesty the King held a lunch on Tuesday afternoon for new foreign ambassadors who will serve in Norway. This was the first major event held at the palace in over a year and a half.

King Harald received the ambassadors with companions in the Mirror Hall, while lunch was served in the Great Banquet Hall. The guests sat at round tables, and three dishes were served which consisted of sashimi of salmon and scallops with small tomatoes, tomato broth and coriander oil, halibut with tatlete, mushrooms, spinach, potatoes, leeks and butter sauce with caviar. For dessert, there were mullets with pistachio and caramel ice cream.

Tuesday evening His Majesty the King was present at the annual meeting of the Norwegian Academy of Sciences in Oslo where four prizes were awarded. At the annual meeting, the Academy’s new members also received their diplomas. King Harald is honorary president of the Academy. Three researchers each received a diploma and a reward of NOK 75,000 from the chairman of the board of the Nansen Foundation, Professor Øyvind Østerud.

There were several cultural elements in honour of His Majesty the King during the meeting, both opera singing and a small violin concerto. Professor Unni Olsbye from the University of Oslo concluded the annual meeting with a lecture on “The green revolution”.

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.