Norway’s Royal Family has led the celebrations on National Day in the first normal celebrations since the beginning of the global health crisis.
The day began in Asker, where the Crown Prince Family greeted the children from Røyken and Hurum primary schools, who took part in the Children’s Parade outside their home. Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Princess Ingrid Alexandra dressed in the Norwegian bunad, while Crown Prince Haakon was also in a national costume. Prince Sverre Magnus chose to wear a suit and tie as he helped his mother lead the family’s two dogs on the porch.
Later in the morning, the Crown Prince Family joined King Harald and Queen Sonja in Oslo at the Royal Palace for another children’s parade. The Royal Family appeared on the balcony to watch the parade as “The King’s Song” and “Yes, we love” were played before the children walked past the royals.
The Royal Court reported that a record 130 schools took part this year in the parade, with an estimated 60,000 children carrying small Norwegian flags and waving to the Royal Family. Children from Høybråten and Slemdal schools led the parade as their schools were marking their 100th anniversaries this year.
King Olav and Queen Maud began the tradition of greeting children from the Royal Palace balcony during the children’s parade on National Day. It has taken place every year since 1906 except for 1910 (when Maud’s father, King Edward VII, died), 1940-1944 (during World War II) and 2020-2021 (due to the global health crisis).
Norway celebrates its National Day, called Constitution Day, on 17 May, and many Norwegians don the national costume, the bunad, for the celebrations. The holiday marks the day the Norwegian constitution was signed in 1814 after it became independent after separating from Denmark. Norway was in a union with Sweden until 1905 but kept its constitution throughout the union.
