Heads of state and guests from most of Europe’s royal families gathered in Oslo to participate in His Majesty's birthday celebrations.
02/03/2007 :: The official festivities began on The King’s birthday, 21 February, with a celebratory church service attended by many members of the Norwegian royal family. As a special surprise, a large children’s choir sang birthday songs and congratulated His Majesty.
Later in the day, the Norwegian Parliament presented its birthday gift to King Harald in the grounds of the Royal Palace. The present, a statue of The King’s mother, Crown Princess Märtha, moved His Majesty to tears.
The day concluded with a gala dinner in honour of The King, hosted by the Norwegian Government at Akershus Castle. Further gifts were presented at the dinner, which also included a programme of entertainment.
"Turning 70 is no great feat. If you live long enough, it just happens," The King said modestly during his speech at the gala dinner.
The celebrations continued on the weekend of 23 to 25 February, when five reigning monarchs, two presidents and guests from most of Europe’s royal families gathered in Oslo. The weekend’s programme opened with a gala concert at Oslo City Hall in honour of the 70th birthdays of His Majesty and Queen Sonya. Following the concert, the royal guests and heads of state attended a dinner hosted by the Crown Prince and Crown Princess at their residence at Skaugum.
On Saturday morning, King Harald and his guests visited the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History on Bygdøy, where they wandered through the museum’s outdoor exhibits.
A ball was held at the Royal Palace on Saturday evening. A surprise had been promised, and many members of the public turned out to see it. The armed forces presented a special show, which began with the Royal Norwegian Navy Band playing as a torchlight procession of guardsmen from HM The King’s Guard and children from Oslo schools formed His Majesty’s monogram and the number 70 in front of the Royal Palace. The King and his guests were then treated to a massive fireworks display while the Navy Band played.
The birthday celebrations concluded on Sunday with a sleigh ride at Sollihøgda outside Oslo.
Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs