King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands is to make his first State Visit to Norway. The royal courts in Oslo and Amsterdam announced that the King, along with Queen Maxima, will travel to Norway between November 9th and November 11th 2021. It will be the first Dutch State Visit to Norway in over a decade and the first time that King Harald and Queen Sonja have hosted such an event since the pandemic.
In addition to a longer stay in the Norwegian capital of Oslo, the Dutch royal couple will also visit the city of Trondheim during their state visit. The state visit confirms the good connections between the Netherlands and Norway. The main themes for the visit will be bilateral and international cooperation, climate change, energy change and sustainability.
The last Dutch State Visit to Norway was in 2010. There was also a State Visit from the Netherlands to Norway in 1996.
During the State Visit in 2010, King Harald welcomed Her Majesty the then Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands to Norway. Beatrix arrived at the Port of Oslo on board the Dutch frigate Tromp. Crown Prince Haakon met the frigate with the royal yacht, and accompanied the Dutch Queen to Oslo City Hall. Here, Beatrix was greeted by King Harald, Queen Sonja and Crown Princess Mette-Marit. This visit also lasted for three days.
Nevertheless, this will not be the first time King Willem-Alexander has been to Norway as monarch. He and Queen Maxima visited Norway in 2013 during a series of visits to closely allied countries in the months after Willem-Alexander’s accession. During the short visit, that lasted only a few hours, the Dutch King and Queen met the Norwegian Royal Family at the Royal Palace in Oslo. King Willem-Alexander also met Norway’s political leaders before King Harald hosted a lunch at the palace.
Norway and the Netherlands have strong ties, both economically, politically and militarily. The royal families are also related to each other. The relationship between the two nations can be described as very good.
