On 17 January 2021 it was 30 years ago that King Olav V of Norway died and King Harald V ascended the Norwegian throne. On their website the Norwegian royal family shared a short video of some of the most important moments during these 30 years, and a thank you from King Harald V and Queen Sonja to the people of Norway. See here.
The Norwegian TV-channel NRK this month has also started a new documentary series called “Rex-Factor, kongeparets reiser for Noreg” (Rex-Factor, the King and Queen’s travels for Norway). The documentary series gives a unique insight in the work of King Harald V and Queen Sonja to promote Norwegian interests internationally. Among the heads of state they met were Nelson Mandela, Boris Yeltsin, Bill Clinton and Xi Jimping. They are interviewed, share their personal stories and impressions from their 50 state visits. They not only tell about their meetings with heads of state, but also about the challenges. Or about visiting orphanaged children in Romania and visiting the prison island Robben Island in South Africa. But they also share funny stories of unexpected situations, such as when Boris Yeltsin out of all protocol wanted to dance with Queen Sonja during a gala dinner in the Kremlin or when they were forgotten by the president in the United States.
There are seven episodes, of which the first one was broadcasted on Sunday 17 January at 8.15pm. They can be seen here.