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DenmarkNorway

Scandinavian cousins to meet on official visit

Royal cousins will reunite next month when King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway pay an official visit to Queen Margrethe in Denmark.

The Danish Royal Court announced the news on Monday, revealing that the two-day visit will occur from 16 to 17 June.

The visit is billed as one marking the historical ties and neighbourly relations between the Scandinavian countries and the Scandinavian royal houses. The Norwegian royals will also lead a business delegation to Denmark with companies involved in bilateral relations, green solutions and defence resources.

Queen Margrethe will receive King Harald and Queen Sonja at the Nordre Toldbod in the Port of Copenhagen, where the Norwegian royals will arrive via the Norge, their royal ship.

Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary will participate in business delegation events alongside the King and Queen and participating businesses. In addition, Queen Margrethe will host a dinner at Amalienborg on the first evening.

Afterwards, King Harald, Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary will board the Norge and the Dannebrog—the Danish royal ship—and travel to Aarhus for further engagements on the second day of the visit.

A complete programme will be announced closer to the date.

The news of King Harald’s official visit came hours after the Norwegian Royal Court announced that he’d been hospitalised with an infection. Crown Prince Haakon will act as regent while the King recovers.

The statement read: “His Majesty the King is on sick leave and has been admitted to Rikshospitalet. The King has been diagnosed with an infection that must be treated and will remain in the hospital for a few days. His condition is stable.”

Queen Margrethe has likewise been battling health concerns this year. She returned to royal duties following her birthday in mid-April after spending nearly two months recovering from extensive back surgery.

About author

Jess Ilse is the Assistant Editor at Royal Central. She specialises in the British, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish Royal Families and has been following royalty since Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee. Jess has provided commentary for media outlets in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Jess works in communications and her debut novel THE MAJESTIC SISTERS will publish in Fall 2024.