8th – 10th October 1974
In 1973 a young Carl Gustav came to the throne when his grandfather, the late King Gustav VI Adolf, died. The following year the new Swedish monarch crossed the border to Norway by train to pay his first State Visit abroad. His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustav was met at Oslo Central Station by his godfather, His Majesty King Olav V of Norway. It has been 14 years since the last Swedish State Visit to Norway.
The Swedish King was dressed in the Uniform of an Admiral in the Swedish Navy with the Sash and Star of the Order of the Seraphim, the Nek-tie of the Order of the Sword and the Star of the Order of the Polar Star. His Majesty King Olav was dressed in the dress uniform of a General in the Norwegian Army also wearing the Sash and Star of the Order of the Seraphim. In addition he wore the Star of the Norwegian Royal Order of St Olav. His Royal Highness Crown Prince Harald, who had met the special train with the Royal Guest onboard at Lillestrøm, a town near Oslo, was in his dress uniform as a Coronel in the Norwegian Army. Like his father he wore the Sash and Star of the Order of the Seraphim and the Star of the Order of St Olav.
In the entourage of the Swedish King were among others the Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr Sven Andersson, First Marshal of the Court Count Tom Wachtmeister, the State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Mr Sverker Åström, Head of Protocol Mr Olof Landenius and Marshal of the Court Colonel Bengt Colliander.
After the inspection of the Guard of Honour from His Majesty the King’s Royal Guards at the station and presentation of the representatives from Norwegian civil and military authorities the Royal Party drove up to the Royal Palace in an open car where they were met by Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Sonja and Her Highness Princess Astrid Mrs Ferner. No sooner had the Swedish King been welcomed before his godfather took him out onto the balcony to greet the large crowd which had gathered outside to cheer the august guest from Sweden. Afterwards lunch was served and official photographs taken in the Bird Room.
Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Sonja was dressed in a turquoise/blue outfit with a long rope of Pearls and the Diamond and Sapphire brooch that she had worn at the christening of her son His Royal Highness Prince Haakon Magnus. Her Highness Princess Astrid, Mrs Ferner had chosen a red outfit for the occasion and to which she had pinned a gold brooch.
An exchange of gifts also took place where His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustav gave his august host an oil painting by the Norwegian painter Anders Askevold which had been a gift from the women of Oslo to Queen Josephine 100 years ago. The Swedish King also awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of the Seraphim to Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Sonja. In return the Norwegian King awarded his Swedish colleague the Grand Cross with Collar of the Norwegian Royal Order of St Olav among other gifts.
From the Palace the two Kings and the Crown Prince went to Akerhus Castle where the Swedish King placed a wreath at the National Monument. And while at Akershus the Royal Party also visited the Royal Mausoleum where King Haakon VII, Queen Maud and Crown Princess Märtha are buried. Here His Majesty placed wreaths at the Royal sarcophaguses.
Later on a reception was held at the Royal Palace for the Diplomatic Corps stationed in Norway.
In the evening there was a glittering State Banquet at the Palace for about 230 invited guests in honour of the Swedish King. The Royal Ladies had of course selected some of their best jewels for this occasion:
Crown Princess Sonja
Queen Maud’s Diamond and Pearl tiara
Seed Pearl choker
Long Rope of Pearls with a Pearl pendant
Pearl earrings
Drapers’ Company Pearl and Diamond brooch
Sash and Star of the Order of the Seraphim
Portrait of King Olav V in Diamonds
Princess Astrid,
Mrs Ferner
The Vasa Diamond tiara
Diamond rivière with a Ruby Floral brooch as pendant
Diamond earrings
Sash and Star of the Order of St Olav
Portrait of King Haakon VII in Diamonds
Portrait of King Olav V in Diamonds
Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess wore a white gown with feathery arms while Her Highness Princess Astrid, Mrs Ferner wore a pink evening dress with a white fur collar. Wearing the Vasa Diamond tiara was no doubt a nod to the origin of this historical piece of jewellery, being the wedding gift from Stockholm to Crown Princess Märtha when she married the then Crown Prince Olav.
The Royal gentlemen were all dressed in uniform. His Majesty King Olav wore the dress uniform of the Norwegian Army with the Sash and Star of the Order of the Seraphim and the Star of the Order of St Olav. His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustav wore his Admiral’s uniform with the Sash and Star of the Order of St Olav. He also wore the Star of the Order of the Seraphim and the neck-tie of the Order of the Sword. His Royal Highness Crown Prince Harald donned the Sash and Star of the Order of the Seraphim and the Star of the Order of St. Olav like he had done during the welcoming ceremony.
At eight o’clock the Royal Procession made its way to the Grand Dining Room headed by the Chief of the Court (Lord Chamberlain) Captain Odd Grønvold wearing his splendid court uniform with a plumed bicorn hat and sword at his side. Across his chest he wore the black Sash of the Swedish Order of the Polar Star. Then followed the Royal personages themselves: His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustav escorting a smiling Crown Princess. Second couple was His Majesty King Olav with Her Highness Princess Astrid, Mrs Ferner at his side. Third and final couple was His Royal Highness Crown Prince Harald leading the wife of the President of the Storting, Mrs. Karin Hansen.
As an anecdote, this was the first time the speeches of the two Heads of State were transmitted via television to the thousands homes around the country.
The menu consisted of turtle soup, salmon, lamb, ice cream, cheese, fruit and confectionery.
The following day the King visited the Norwegian School of Sport Science and an oil drilling rig before lunch. He was accompanied by His Majesty King Olav and Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Harald and Crown Princess Sonja. At the School of Sport Science an informal shooting competition between the young King and the Crown Prince was held which the Swedish King won.
Lunch was served at Oslo City Hall. The Mayor of Oslo, Mr Brynjulf Bull, acted as host for the about 250 guests present. There were no speeches apart from a short welcome given by the Mayor and a toast to both monarchs and the playing of the Swedish and the Norwegian National Anthem.
The majority of the flowers in the arrangements decorating the tables were kept mainly in the colour scheme of the Swedish flag, yellow and blue, with a hint of green and orange. First course served was crayfish with dill sauce to which the guests were offered a Louis Roederer Grand Vin Sec. Next course was pheasant with vegetables which was enjoyed together with a glass of Patriarche Rouge Gorge. For dessert the guests were served ice cream “rococo”.
Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Sonja had chosen a very stylish blue outfit: dark blue velvet with Royal blue frills at the neckline and end of the sleeves. This she had combined with a hat in the same colours and fabrics. Her Highness Princess Astrid, Mrs Ferner had also chosen a dark coloured outfit. It is a bit difficult to establish from the photos but it is probably black with the skirt being wide pleated alternating the dark colour with green. To pick up the green colour in her skirt she wore a green hat. The Royal Gentlemen were in suit and tie.
After the lunch – while the guests were taking coffee – there was a charming performance of Norwegian traditional dances by a troop of children, one of whom was the eldest daughter of Her Highness Princess Astrid, Mrs Ferner.
In the afternoon a reception was held at the Swedish Embassy for the Swedish community in Norway. Later on King Olav hosted a family dinner at the Palace before the Royal Party went to the National Theatre to witness a Gala Performance of Henrik Ibsen’s play “A Doll’s Home” in honour of the Royal Guest. It was again a glittering evening event and the Royal Ladies looked splendid in their fine evening wear and blazing jewels:
Crown Princess Sonja
Tiara from the Emerald parure
Necklace from the Emerald parure
Earrings from the Emerald parure
Large brooch from the Emerald parure
Sash and Star of the Order of the Seraphim
Portrait of King Olav V in Diamonds
Princess Astrid,
Mrs Ferner
The Gold bandeau
Several rows of Pearls
Sash and Star of the Order of St Olav
Portrait of King Haakon VII in Diamonds
Portrait of King Olav V in Diamonds
Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Sonja had chosen a white dress with green and blue pattern combined with a green see-through cape to match the stunning emeralds. Her Highness Princess Astrid, Mrs Ferner wore white. The men were this time in white tie. His Majesty King Olav wore again the Sash and Star of the Order of the Seraphim and Star of the Order of St Olav. His Majesty King Carl Gustav wore the Sash and Star of the Order of St Olav and the Star of the Order of the Seraphim. Unlike the day before he now wore the black neck-tie of the Order of the Polar Star. His Royal Highness Crown Prince Harald wore the Sash and Star of the Order of the Seraphim and the Star of the Order of St Olav. The husband of Her Highness Princess Astrid, Mrs Ferner Mr Johan Martin Ferner was also present.
On the third day His Majesty visited Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital and Elektrisk Bureau at Nesbru. The Crown Princely Couple hosted a lunch at their estate Skaugum. Here the Swedish King was able to see and hold his godson His Royal Highness Prince Haakon Magnus for the very first time.
After the lunch the Swedish King was taken to Voksenåsen, a culture and conference centre situated in the western part of Oslo. It had been Norway’s gift to Sweden as a thank you for the humanitarian help received during and after World War II. Concluded this visit His Majesty then paid a visit to the Swedish Church in Norway, Margaretakyrkan (named after Crown Princess Margareta of Sweden, née Princess Margaret of Connaught) and the old people’s home operated by the church.
His Majesty ended the day by hosting a return banquet for the Norwegian Royal Family at the Swedish Embassy in the evening. This was a considerable smaller party than the State Banquet as there were only 49 guests. The dress code was still white tie though and again the Norwegian Royal Ladies brought out some of their best jewels:
Crown Princess Sonja
Queen Josephine’s Diamond tiara
Large Diamond rivière
Queen Alexandra’s Diamond Chandelier earrings
Oval Diamond brooch
A Diamond bracelet which looks a bit late the base of Queen Maud’s Maltese tiara
Sash and Star of the Order of the Seraphim
Portrait of King Olav V in Diamonds
Princess Astrid,
Queen Maud’s Turquoise coronet
Turquoise necklace with Turquoise pendant
Turquoise earrings
Diamond Bow brooch
Sash and Star of the Order of St Olav
Portrait of King Haakon VII in Diamonds
Portrait of King Olav V in Diamonds
Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Sonja had again chosen a white gown. Her Highness Princess Astrid, Mrs Ferner wore a turquoise top and a white skirt to match her historical jewels. The Royal gentlemen were all in white tie. His Majesty King Olav was wearing the Sash and Star of the Order of the Seraphim and the Star of the Order of St Olav. His Majesty King Carl Gustav wore, like he did at the Gala Performance, the Sash and Star of the Order of St Olav, the Star of the Order of the Seraphim and the neck-tie of the Order of the Polar Star. His Royal Highness Crown Prince Harald wore the Sash and Star of the Order of the Seraphim and the Star of the Order of St Olav.
The menu consisted of green pea soup, venison and for dessert flambéed pineapple with ice cream.
This concluded the State Visit and His Majesty flew back home to Sweden early next day.
REGAL EVENTS 