Less than month after their first State Visit to Sweden, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and Prince Henrik were hosted by their cousins in the Norwegian Royal Family on their first State Visit to Norway on this day in 1973, which came exactly thirteen years after her parent’s State Visit to Norway in 1960.
King Olav V welcomed Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik at the Train Station in Oslo, before the Royal Party rode in procession to the Royal Palace of Oslo, where they were joined by Crown Prince Harald, Crown Princess Sonja, and Princess Astrid for a Luncheon.
In the evening, King Olav (in the Order of the Elephant) hosted a spectacular State Banquet in honour of Queen Margrethe (wearing the Pearl Poiré Tiara and the Order of St. Olav) and Prince Henrik at the Royal Palace of Oslo, which was also attended by Crown Prince Harald, Crown Princess Sonja (in Queen Maud’s Pearl Tiara, Queen Alexandra’s Diamond Chandelier Earrings and the Drapers’ Company Brooch), and Princess Astrid (likely wearing Queen Alexandra’s Turquoise Circlet).
There must have been at least one, if not two, more Gala events, but sadly there are no pictures from that, except this of Crown Princess Sonja (wearing the Vifte Tiara, Emerald Parure, and the Danish Order of the Elephant) possibly during a Gala Performance at the Oslo Opera House.
King Olav was born a Prince of Denmark and was the first cousin of Queen Margrethe’s father, King Frederik IX. The Danish and Norwegian Royal Families have been close for over a century, and this State Visit followed the Norwegian State Visit to Denmark in 1948 and the Danish State Visit to Norway in 1960, as well as a Norwegian State Visit to Denmark. The following year, the Danish Royal Family hosted King Olav on his State Visit to Denmark, and King Harald and Queen Sonja made their first State Visit to Denmark in 1991, before hosting Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik on their State Visit to Norway the following year. Since then, while the families have made several visits for private events, grand celebrations, and official visits, there was only the Norwegian Independence Centenary Gala in Copenhagen in 2005, but so far no Official State Visits between Denmark and Norway to date.
