During his life, Prince Philip visited Norway a number of times. He was in the country both on official tours, but he also visited his Norwegian relatives and friends privately on several occasions. The last time the Duke of Edinburgh visited Norway was in 2001. Even though it is now 20 years ago, the memories of Prince Philip live on with the Norwegian people.
His last trip was a State Visit that lasted three days, but Prince Philip was in Norway for several extra days. He arrived in Norway on May 25 2001 to take part in an award ceremony. It was the Queen’s and Prince’s fourth State Visit to Norway since 1952 and so far the last British State Visit to Norway.
The Duke of Edinburgh attended the presentation of the Heyerdahl Prize and the ceremony was held May 25 in 2001 at the Oslo City Hall. The Heyerdahl Prize was established in 1999 by the famous Norwegian explorer, Thor Heyerdahl, and the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association. Thor Heyerdahl himself handed out the prize bearing his name. The prize is awarded every two years to candidates who in an outstanding way have made an outstanding contribution to supporting the maritime environment. At that time the Duke of Edinburgh was a member of the prize committee.
Prince Philip was joined by Queen Elizabeth when the State Visit began in the afternoon on the afternoon of 30 May 2021. The programme on the first day included a wreath-laying ceremony at Akershus Fortress and a banquet at the Royal Palace.
The next day started with a visit to Bolteløkka school in Oslo. The royals stayed at the school for an hour, and visited three classes, including a class for foreign language students. From Bolteløkka, the trip continued to Oslo City Hall where an exhibition with a new British design was shown. After seeing the exhibition, the Queen and Prince Philip walked from Rådhusplassen towards Akershus Fortress and greeted the public.
The royal entourage also visit the British Navy’s flagship HMS “Illustrious”, which was present in Oslo at a NATO-misson.There was another official event at Akershus Fortress, hosted by the Norwegian government. The Queen and Prince Philip hosted a reception at the Astrup Fearnley Museum, and also attended a dinner in the British Ambassador’s residence in Oslo.
