On 11 September, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit continued their trip to Trøndelag County. The Norwegian Crown Prince and Princess visited three locations in the municipalities of Midtre Gauldal and Trondheim. The son and daughter-in-law of the sovereign ended their trip in Trondheim, the third largest city in the country.
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Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Norway continue their stay in Trøndelag
Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit arrived in Midtre Gauldal on Wednesday morning, the second day of their stay in Trøndelag county. Midtre Gauldal is a large and sprawling municipality, with villages relatively far apart.
The day began with a visit to the Nordstu-Solberg farm in Soknedal. The farm owners Aina Staverløkk and Erik Olad Solberg live there with their two children Anna Olivia and Knut Erik. Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit were given an explanation about life on the farm and the challenges farmers face on a daily basis.
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Crown Prince Haakon and his wife visited the Gauldal school and cultural centre, which are located in the same building. An open-air ceremony was held to welcome the crown couple with songs, dances and other folk performances. King Harald’s daughter-in-law was in charge of giving a speech to the people. “It’s a very special place because it houses two schools, an adult education centre, a cultural centre, a gym, a swimming pool, a library and a volunteer centre. It’s a good example of a place where you can get to know people over coffee or a soft drink, where young people are surrounded by trusted adults and where older people can get help and company. It’s both enjoyable and important,” said Crown Princess Mette-Marit.
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Lunch in the canteen and evening focused on inclusivity
The heir couple then joined the Gaudal high school. There Haakon and Mette-Marit met many students from the school. At lunchtime, the heir couple ate in the canteen with students and teachers.
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Before leaving Midtre Gauldal, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit stopped by the sculpture of cross-country skier Marit Bjørgen, made by sculptor Merete Sejersted Bødtker. Bjørgen grew up on the Bjørga farm in the village of Rognes in Midtre Gauldal municipality.
In the evening, the Crown Prince couple were invited to a reception at Stiftsgården in Trondheim. Trondheim is one of the fastest growing cities in the country and around 150 nationalities are represented. With 200,000 inhabitants, the city comprises almost half of the entire population of the county. It is the third most populous city in Norway after Oslo and Begren.
At Stiftsgårdsparken in the city centre, Haakon, Mette-Marit and city officials took part in an event that included several performances, including a performance by drag queen Torill Tombola. This week, Pride is being celebrated in the city and the Crown Prince emphasised the city’s inclusiveness in his speech at the end of the trip.
“I hope that Trondheim and Nidaros Cathedral will continue to be a place that welcomes people from all over the world, who come with everything they have. And then I hope that we will manage to both preserve and strengthen the diversity that we have fought for together in this country, and that we are also now experiencing during Trondheim Pride Week.”said the future King of Norway in his speech.
The Crown Prince couple then visited Lilleby School in La’moen. The students introduced themselves and talked about the various activities of the sports club and the pleasure of reading in the school library. The trip ended with a visit to the Rosendal Theatre. After a visit and a performance at the theatre, the couple had coffee at LAMOMAT, a women’s project that offers food from Afghanistan, Syria and Somalia to the audience at the Rosendal Theatre.
