Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway have ended their lease on a private summer residence in Kristiansand, the Norwegian Royal Court announced.
The Crown Prince Couple have leased a residence called Dvergsøya in Kristiansand since 2009 and recently renewed the lease in 2020 for another five-year period. No reason was given for why the lease was terminated halfway through its contract.
In a brief statement, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit said: “The summers at Dvergsøya have brought many good memories. We thank the municipality for the arrangements and support that have given us the opportunity to holiday in such wonderful surroundings. It has also been nice that our children have had this natural connection to Southern Norway and Kristiansand.”
The Mayor of Kristiansand, Jan Oddvar Skisland, spoke with the local newspaper, Kristiansand commune, thanking the royal couple for spending parts of their summer in the area.
“The Crown Prince and Crown Princess have managed parts of Dvergsøya at the same time that it has been accessible to the general public. The Crown Prince family has been a natural part of the environment in the area during the summer, which we have greatly appreciated. We always have the door of our heart open to the Royal Family.
“I would like to thank the Crown Prince couple for their constructive and good cooperation and hope they will have new, good memories at their new summer residence.”
In a separate interview with Norwegian broadcaster VG, Mayor Skisland said, “[Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit] have been a very natural and nice part of the summer environment here, both in shops and in restaurants.”
He added: “There has been an excellent relationship between the Crown Prince’s family and the municipality. We have found it to be exemplary, and we have been happy to have them there. It would have been nice to have them longer.”
