On Tuesday, Their Majesties the King and Queen of Norway along with Their Royal Highnesses The Crown Prince and Crown Princess were in Oslo for the presentation of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2019. The winner this year was the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. In their statement, the Nobel Peace Prize committee wrote: “The Norwegian Nobel Committee has announced that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2019 will go to Abiy Ahmed. Ahmed receives the award in particular for his efforts for establishing peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea.”
This year’s award, like all other awards of the Nobel Peace Price, has also sparked debate. Abiy Ahmed received the Peace Prize based on what he did in 2018, now in 2019 the situation is different in Ethiopia. Protesters burn his book and nearly 100 people have been killed in protests against the government. There is also strong criticism of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for refusing to meet the press during his three-day stay in Norway.
Embed from Getty ImagesBefore the official ceremony at Oslo City Hall, King Harald held an audience with Abiy Ahmed at the Royal Palace. The audience was also attended by Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette Marit. Since 1901, the Nobel Prizes have been presented to Nobel Laureates at ceremonies on 10 December, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death. In Stockholm, winners receive the Nobel Prize medal and diploma from King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden while in Oslo laureates receive the Nobel Peace Prize from the Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee in the presence of King Harald V of Norway.
The awards ceremony was, as usual, held in the Central Hall of Oslo City Hall. It is a royal rule that the Royal Family are the last to come into the town hall’s large banqueting room. At all public events, the King’s arrival is notified by soldiers from His Majesty the King’s Guard playing the fanfare “The King is Coming”.
The ceremony was followed by the Nobel Peace Prize Banquet at the Grand Hotel in Oslo, with Their Majesties the King and Queen and Their Royal Highnesses the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Norway in attendance.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Norwegian Royal Family has played a central role in the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize since Norway became independent in 1905. Throughout history, the Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to a number of controversial people. There is only one single time that the Norwegian Royal Family has chosen to boycott the peace prize ceremony. This happened in 1935 when the Nobel Peace Prize was given to the German native, Carl von Ossietzky. King Haakon VII justified the boycott when Alfred Nobel’s family said they were opposed to the awarding of the prize to von Ossietzky.
