Queen Sonja of Norway is currently on a private voyage along the Norwegian coast. She is travelling on board the royal yacht “KS Norge” and is accompanied by good friends. The king is not on the journey as he has constitutional duties in the capital.
Deputy Head of Communications at the Royal Court Sven Gjeruldsen said to the Norwegian newspaper “Stavanger Aftenblad” last Sunday: “I can confirm that the queen is aboard the royal yacht KS Norge. However, we do not provide information about the royal family’s private program.”
The journey has seen Queen Sonja greeted by fellow Norwegians as the yacht makes a series of stops. Many people have followed the royal yacht with their own boats, fireworks have been let off and flowers scattered near the boat. The Queen has appeared several times and waved to the people from the ship.
On Friday, Queen Sonja was in the small village of Måløy. In tempartures of almost 30 degrees Celsius and under clear skies, the Queen experienced the seaside town at its best. According to the local newspapers, the Queen visited the nearly 900-year-old stave church Urnes during her stay there.
Urnes Stave Church is from the 12th-century. It is among the oldest stave churches in Norway, with parts of the lumber construction dating from the latter half of the 11th century. The church was built on basilica plan inspired by medieval Christian churches.
On Saturday Her Majesty the Queen celebrated the traditional Norwegian celebration of St. Hans in Ålesund. The Royal Norwegian Yacht with Queen Sonja on board was among the many who attended the traditional fire in Ålesund on Saturday night. This year, the event couldn’t be watched on land due to the coronavirus. Therefore, many people took to the sea to watch the largest bonfire of the year in Norway. A traditional way to celebrate St. Hans.
