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Norway

King Harald and Queen Sonja receive second dose of coronavirus vaccine

King Harald and Queen Sonja have received the second and final dose of coronavirus vaccine. The Royal Court presented the news in a short statement to the state TV channel NRK, which reported it on February 4th 2021.

The following statement was made to NRK: “King Harald and Queen Sonja received their second dose of coronavirus vaccine this week and have thus been vaccinated. This also applies to the king’s sister, Princess Astrid”.

King Harald and Queen Sonja received the first dose of coronavirus vaccine on January 13th 2021. The King’s 88 year old sister, Princess Astrid, was also then vaccinated. There has been no news about Crown Princess Mette-Marit receiving the vaccine. Her Royal Highness is in a high risk group due to a lung disease. She has carried out a very limited range of engagements for the royal family since the outbreak of the coronavirus. It is expected that the Crown Princess will also take the vaccine soon.

At the end of November, it became known that King Harald and Queen Sonja had tested negative for the coronavirus, after an employee at the Palace had been diagnosed with the infection. Queen Sonja had had close contact with the person in question but neither the queen nor the king was infected. At the time, it was also reported that 14 employees at the court had been quarantined.

It was later stated from the Palace in Oslo that the Royal Court has routines that are in line with rules and recommendations from the authorities related to infection control, including the practice of distance regulations, the use of face masks, intensified cleaning and hand hygiene, as well as the use of home offices.

In March 2020, the royal couple was quarantined after a state visit to Jordan. This led, among other things, to the king having to lead the weekly cabinet over the phone, due to the quarantine. During the opening of an art exhibition in 2020, Queen Sonja said that it has been sad not to be able to meet people during the coronavirus pandemic.

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.