Royals find much to like in Norway
NORWAY: Britain’s Prince William and wife Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, have arrived in Norway on the final leg of a Nordic trip, stepping out of the plane on to a red carpet laid out over snow.
The royal couple were greeted by the country’s Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit at Oslo’s Gardermoen Airport yesteday, and went on to meet wellwishers waving British flags in the winter cold.
William and Kate – who are expecting their third child in April – toured a children’s sculpture park at the start of their two-day trip and were due to visit the Ski Museum, dedicated to Norway’s national sport.
They were also expected to meet students to discuss mental health – an issue that William and his brother Prince Harry have campaigned on. Prince William, second in line to the throne, is also a relative of Norway’s King Harald, as both descend from Britain’s Queen Victoria.
Britain is Norway’s largest export market through its purchases of natural gas.
Earlier, William praised Sweden’s embrace of the great outdoors, in particular the physical and mental benefits of outdoor exercise for children. Speaking at the end of the royal couple’s twoday visit to Sweden, William said that ‘‘one lesson that we will take home with us, is that children are actively encouraged to spend time outdoors, whatever the weather’’.
During the visit, William and the Duchess of Cambridge sought to meet Swedes from all walks of life. At a medical institute, they discussed with academics Sweden’s approach to managing mental health challenges.
The couple also revealed that, like much of the world, they have Ikea furniture. The surprising admission came at the start of their visit to Sweden while visiting ArkDes, Sweden’s national centre for architecture and design.
Ikea’s head of design, Marcus Engman, said the couple told him that the internationally popular flat pack Swedish furniture was in Prince George and Princess Charlotte’s rooms at Kensington Palace.
The couple also offered their condolences on the death of the firm’s founder, Ingvar Kamprad, who died last weekend aged 91.
– AP, PA