Prince Haakon and Princess Mette-Marit’s three-day tour of Rogaland, Norway is shaping up to be not all work, but quite a bit of play as well.

The Crown Couple arrived in the southern Norwegian county to a warm welcome. They were met by crowds of children and other residents waving Norway’s flag despite the drizzly weather. Princess Mette-Marit was decked out in practical boots as the couple went about their official duties.

Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit boarded a small boat at the start of their three-day tour of Rogaland, Norway.

It was quite windy and chilly out in the water, and Princess Mette-Marit had her hands full just trying to contain her hair in the breeze.

Rogaland, a county at the southern end of Norway, is the the center of the country’s petroleum industry. It also boasts of magnificent fjords and beaches.

images: Bauer-Griffin

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.

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 …read more

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 …read more

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.

Today, January 21, 2009, is the 5th birthday of a lovely little girl, Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway.
Princess Ingrid Alexandra is the first child of Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit. She is second in line to the Norwegian throne, after her father.
Happy birthday, Princess Ingrid!
image by Julia Marie Naglestad/kolonihaven.no/ The Royal Court

Princess Martha Louise, Ari Behn, and their children, (from left) Emma Tallulah, Leah Isadora and Maud Angelica.
Norway’s Princess Martha Louise and her husband writer Ari Behn christened their third child, Emma Tallulah, today, January 20, 2009 in the chapel of the Oslo Royal Palace. Emma Tallulah was born on September 29, 2008 at her parents’ home outside Oslo. Her two older sisters are Maud Angelica and Leah Isadora. The three sisters do not hold royal titles.
Emma’s godparents are her grandmother Marianne Solberg Behn, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Princess Alexia of Greece, Sigvart Dagsland, Annbjørg Sætre Håtun, Carl Christian Christensen, and …read more

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, …read more