Queen Sonja of Norway attended the preview of the pavilion of Norway and Denmark at the 53rd Biennale Internazional Art Exhibition in Venice, Italy, on June 4, 2009. The exhibit will be officially inaugurated on June 6 by Italy’s President, Giorgio Napolitano.

Queen Sonja spoke during the opening ceremony. She then toured the art installations with Norway’s Minister of Culture Trond Giske, and the exhibit’s curators, Danish artist Michael Elmgreen (below, left) and Norwegian artist Inger Dragset (below, right).

Image: Zuma Press

Today’s fashion feature is Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, during an official visit this week with her husband, Crown Prince Haakon.

The royal couple toured the Bergtun Care Facility on April 14, 2009. Princess Mette-Marit wore a moss green ensemble which she topped off with a pair of dark brown gloves and peep-toe stilettos. We also get a nice look at the beautiful 3-diamond ring she’s wearing.

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Prince Haakon (center) with countrymen, men’s sprint Gold medal winner Ola Vigen Hattestad (right) and Silver medalist Johan Kjoelstad (left) at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championship on February 24, 2009.

Crown Prince Haakon is in Liberec, Czech Republic, where the FIS Nordic World Ski Championship is being held. Prince Haakon is not competing, but is there to cheer on his countrymen.

Yesterday, the prince witnessed Norwegian skiers Ola Vigen Hattestad and Johan Kjoelstad take the gold and silver medals, respectively, at the men’s sprint final. The winner got to have dinner with Prince Haakon last night.

Prince Haakon continued to be an encouraging presence for the Norwegian participants today. The championships will continue until March 1, 2009.

via: Royal Twist; Image: Newscom

When we say “royal fashion”, we often think of the latest in designer clothes, bags and accessories adorning elegant princesses. Occasionally, however, royal fashion is simply what the locals have been wearing for centuries.

Prince Haakon and  Princess Mette-Marit wear traditional Sami costumes during their visit to Kautokeino on February 5, 2009.

Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit so honored their hosts in Kautokeino as they started their official tour of Finnmark. The royal couple’s two-day visit of northern Norway started on February 5, 2008. For Sami National Day, they donned traditional costumes, designed to keep out the below-freezing temperatures and fashioned out of what was locally available. In this case, reindeer skin.

As part of their tour, Prince Haakon and Princess Mette-Marit visited the Sami parliament, a reindeer farm and a church. Their modes of transportation included snowmobiles and sleighs pulled by reindeer.

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It’s February 1, and love is in the air! Our Valentine special, featuring romantic royal couples, is in full swing.

Today’s couple is Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit. The royal couple were married on August 25, 2001 at the Oslo Cathedral. Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik was the best man. Prince Haakon and Princess Mette-Marit have three children between them, Master Marius Borg Høiby, Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus.

Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit vacationing in Brazil in April, 2003.

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From left: King Harald, Queen Sonja, Princess Mette-Marit and Prince Haakon at the Nobel Peace Prize Awards Ceremony on December 10, 2008. [image credit: Newscom]

Norway’s King Harald, Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit were royal guests at the awarding of the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize to former Finnish President and veteran mediator Martti Ahtisaari.

Martti Ahtisaari was recognized for his efforts to resolve international conflicts. Ahtisaari was influential as a mediator for peace and reconciliation in places like Indonesia, Northern Ireland, Namibia and Kosovo.  The Nobel Peace Prize Awards Ceremony was held on December 10, 2008 in Oslo, Norway.

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Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon has arrived in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on an official visit as a Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations Development Plan (UNDP).

“I accepted the invitation to become a Goodwill Ambassador for UNDP, because I strongly believe that all people are equal and should have equal rights to realize their potential as human beings,” said the heir to the Norwegian throne during a visit to Burundi with UNDP in October 2007.

In Prince Haakon’s itinerary today was a visit with children at a UNDP-supported organization that aims to decrease to decrease child labor. The Prince also had meetings with the President of Mongolia Nambaryn Enkhbayar and with government officials.

Photos of the first day of the visit here.

via Royal Blog; Creative Commons image via Wikipedia (photo by S.H. O’Leary)

Here’s a round-up of this weekend’s royal news.

Upcoming royal visits:

• Belgium’s King Albert II will be on a 10-day state visit to India starting on Monday, November 2, 2008 (source)
• Danish King and Queen will pay a state visit to Tanzania on November 3-6, 2008 (source)
• Danish crown couple will visit Thailand from November 24-28, 2008 (source)
• Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon will visit Mongolia on November 3-6, 2008 (source)

Weekend news:

• Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud announces $100m for earthquake survivors (source)
• Prince Charles to visit Yogyakarta palace in Indonesia (source)
• Photos of Prince Charles and Camilla’s visit to Brunei here
• The Swedish Queen speaks out against child pornography (source)
• Prince Charles makes impassioned plea over ‘terrifying’ effects of climate change (source)
• Fergie undercover: The Duchess of York bluffs her way into orphanages in Turkey (source)
• Prince Charles to reveal rainforest plan (source)