The Dutch royal couple in Norway: “A great place to be”

King Willem-Alexander signs the guest book before lunch at Akershus Fortress together with Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Queen Maxima and the Norwegian royal couple. Photo: Torstein Bøe / NTB

TThe Dutch royal couple is in Norway on their first official state visit. They had lunch at Akershus Fortress with the Norwegian royal couple and the Prime Minister.

“We have been here many, many times on private visits, from north to south. The Norwegians and the Dutch have very similar views on many things, and it is a great place to be,” King Willem-Alexander told NTB.

At the invitation of King Harald, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima came to Norway. The Dutch king, who is also a pilot, was himself a co-pilot on his own KLM flight to Oslo on Tuesday. He is happy to be back on Norwegian soil.

“Norway and the Netherlands are very like-minded countries, and friendships must be nurtured. Therefore, it is also very important to come back regularly, also in an official context”, the 54-year-old stated.

The state visit, which is the royal couple’s first in Norway, takes place just over a year late according to the original plan.

“It was actually supposed to happen last year but was unfortunately postponed for a year due to Covid-19. But now that we are on our way out of the pandemic, although it’s not entirely over yet, we can slowly but surely begin to look ahead,” the king said.

Both the Dutch and Norwegian royal couples participated in an event about hate speech and freedom of expression at Oslo’s new main library, Deichmanske Bjørvika. The crew then went to Akershus Fortress, where the royal couples had lunch with, among others, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

The Dutch royal couple also traveled north to Trondheim, where technology, research, and business cooperation were on the agenda. They met representatives from Sintef and NTNU before ending the three-day state visit with a choir concert in Nidarosdomen (Nidaros Cathedral).

Source: ©️ NTB Scanpix / #NorwayTodayTravel

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