Tuesday, 25th October, 2005
Reception
Their Majesties the King and Queen of Norway travel on the Norwegian Royal yacht ‘Norge’ from Greenwich for the Pool of London. They arrive at Royal Naval Reserve Headquarters berth, H.M.S. President and are met by the Princess Royal and Rear Admiral Timothy Laurence on behalf of the Queen. Their Majesties, accompanied by Their Royal Highnesses and Rear Admiral Timothy Laurence depart Millbank by car for Horse Guards. There will then be a short ceremony where the Norwegian national anthem will be played before Their Majesties, accompanied by Their Royal Highnesses and Admiral Laurence leave in a carriage procession with a Sovereign’s Escort of the Household Cavalry involving 100 soldiers for Buckingham Palace.
Buckingham Palace
The carriage procession takes their Majesties to Buckingham Palace where they will be welcomed by The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh. The Norwegian national anthem is played again and HM The King inspects the Guard of Honour in the Quadrangle. Once inside Buckingham Palace the guests will view an exhibition of Norwegian items from the Royal Collection in the Picture Gallery after lunch at the Palace .
10 Downing Street & Westminster Abbey
Accompanied by The Crown Prince and The Crown Princess of Norway, Their Majesties The King and Queen of Norway will visit 10 Downing Street for a meeting with the Prime Minister and Mrs Blair. Afterwards, the Royal couple will pay a visit to Westminster Abbey, accompanied by The Crown Prince of Norway, and lay wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior followed by a short tour of the Abbey.
St. James’s Palace
Their Majesties The King and Queen of Norway arrive at St. James’s Palace, accompanied by the Crown Prince of Norway, for a presentation of Address of Welcome by the Lord Mayor and Councillors of the City of Westminster at St. James’s Palace. HM The King will speak.
Reception at Buckingham Palace with war veterans
Their Majesties the King and Queen of Norway will at Buckingham Palace meet with military Veterans to mark the 60th Anniversary of the liberation of Norway, accompanied by The Crown Prince of Norway, and also attended by The Duke of Edinburgh. Representatives from the Royal Navy, the Army and the Royal Air Force will be present. The war veterans will have direct links to Norway, some of whom worked on the vessels HMS Glasgow and HMS Devonshire which helped evacuate the Royal Family and parts of the government after the Nazi occupation of Norway in 1940.
Banquet at Buckingham Palace
The Banquet will be attended by both Royal families and take place in The Ballroom, the largest State Room in the Palace.
Wednesday, 26th October, 2005
Oil and Gas Industry Collaboration Conference
The King of Norway, with The Crown Prince of Norway, and accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, attend the ‘British-Norwegian Oil and Gas Industry Collaboration Conference’ at the Institute of Electrical Engineers. Oil and gas production in the North Sea has for the last 30 years seen extensive British-Norwegian collaborations and the seminar will focus on energy supplies to Europe and the rest of the world.
London School of Economics
The Crown Prince of Norway attends a lecture given by the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jonas Gahr Støre, at London School of Economics.
Thames House and New Scotland Yard
The King and the Crown Prince of Norway will attend briefings on the fight against international terrorisme at both institutions and attend luncheon hosted by Sir Ian Blair, the Commissioner of the Police of the Metropolis at New Scotland Yard.
Royal Institute of British Architects
The Queen of Norway visits the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) for a seminar on ‘The Architectural Legacy of Sverre Fehn’. There will be a welcome address by Jack Pringle, the president of RIBA, who will also introduce HM Queen Sonja. After The Queen’s speech, professor Per Olaf Fjeld gives a lecture on the work of Sverre Fehn and Ingerid Helsing Almaas, editor of `Byggekunst`, will talk about new Norwegian architecture.
Launch of anthology of contemporary Norwegian writers
The Queen of Norway and the Crown Princess of Norway attend a literary lunch at the Groucho Club, Soho, to launch an anthology of Norwegian contemporary writers. It will be attended by literary critics and writers as well as Trude Marstein, Roy Jacobsen, Laila Stien and Per Petterson, four of the Norwegian authors featured in the anthology.
Palace of Westminster
Their Majesties The King and Queen of Norway, accompanied by The Crown Prince of Norway, attend a reception in the Royal Gallery for approximately 150 Parliamentarians and other invited guests. The Lord Chancellor and the Speaker will both give an address of welcome to which His Majesty will respond.
Lloyds of London
The King of Norway visits Lloyds of London and is taken on a tour of the trading floor before joining a reception which follows a seminar entitled ‘City Partners Norway: Energy, Shipping, Industry, Finance in a European and Global Perspective’.
Tea with The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall
The Crown Prince and The Crown Princess of Norway will have tea with The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall.
Banquet at Guildhall
The King and Queen of Norway will attend a banquet hosted by the Lord Mayor and the Lady Mayoress of the City of London at the Great Hall in Guildhall, accompanied by the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess of Norway and Princess Astrid, the sister of King Harald .
Thursday, 27th October, 2005
Health Seminar
The Crown Prince of Norway attends a seminar on ‘Biobanks for Health’ at the Director’s Suite in the Science Museum. Around 100 specialists from Norway and the UK participate in the seminar which will be opened by the Crown Prince.
Statue of Queen Maud
The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, and The King and The Queen of Norway, accompanied by The Crown Princess of Norway, will be present at 10, Palace Green. The King of Norway unveils a statue of his grandmother Queen Maud, the British-born princess who became Queen of Norway in 1905. A blue plaque in commemoration of King Haakon VII, who led the Norwegian government-in-exile from 10 Palace Green between 1940 and 1945, will be unveiled. Princess Astrid of Norway is also present.
Farewell Luncheon
British Royal guests attend a farewell luncheon given by Their Majesties of Norway onboard the Royal Yacht ‘K/S Norge’.
Return Reception
A Reception for those involved with the Visit will be hosted by the King and Queen of Norway at the Norwegian Ambassador’s Residence, 10, Palace Green. A broad selection of Norwegian dishes will be served at the Reception.