Crown Princess Mette-Marit takes on special patronage

Each year a member of the Norwegian Royal Family becomes the patron of the state television channel NRK’s charity broadcast.

Last year, it was Crown Prince Haakon. This year the patron is Crown Princess Mette-Marit.

This year’s campaign goes to Doctors Without Borders and the Drugs For Neglected Diseases Initiative’s work to provide life-saving healthcare and medicines to people who need them most. The action day is Sunday, 23 October.

This past Sunday was exactly one week until this year’s event, and an audience was held at Skaugum Estate.

During the audience with the Crown Princess, Lindis Hurum, Secretary General of Doctors Without Borders, said: “We are so happy and grateful for the Crown Princess and all the volunteers and everyone else who is helping to collect money for this year’s television campaign.”

Leader of the campaign, Vibecke Østby, said: “We are delighted that the Crown Princess, with her commitment to society, will be the high patron of this year’s TV campaign. The TV campaign engages locally so that together we can save lives globally. It is fantastic that year after year, together with the royal family, the county and municipal sector, schools, business and the voluntary sector, we contribute together for a better future for millions of people.”

NRK’s charity broadcast has occurred on a Sunday in October since 1974. The TV show from NRK is the world’s largest fundraising campaign and has brought in over nine billion Norwegian crowns since its inception 45 years ago.

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