Crown Prince Haakon is caught up in what must qualify as his busiest royal spell ever. The 30-year-old heir to Norway's throne is acting as regent while his father, King Harald, recovers from heart surgery. Duties include such royal functions as formally reviewing the credentials of new ambassadors, among them South Korea's Young-seok Kim on March 30.
In full regalia, Crown Prince Haakon then stepped in for his father at special services for the new bishop of Oslo. His mother, Queen Sonja, and wife, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, also took part.
Crown Prince Haakon, Queen Sonja and Crown Princess Mette-Marit during the investiture of Oslo's new bishop. The Crown Prince later was obligated to make a speech at a reception following the church services.
King Harald couldn't make it to the Oslo Cathedral, but new Bishop Ole Kristian Kvarme beamed in the presence of (from left) Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Crown Prince Haakon and Queen Sonja on Sunday April 3.
Two evenings later, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit opened their home at Skaugum, west of Oslo, to honor young founders of new companies. Lars Petter Øie from Kirkenes and Silja Skoglund from Tromsø, in northern Norway, were among those invited for dinner.
The next day, on April 6, it was off to Ålesund on Norway's west coast for Crown Prince Haakon. His presence was desired at a local college, during an exhibition tied to Norway's important offshore industry. Here, Haakon tests out a simulator for an offshore vessel while project leader Øystein Uksnøy gives him some guidance.
Crown Prince Haakon returned quickly to Oslo, where he was due to visit a crisis center for battered women. The Crown Prince is the royal sponsor of an upcoming TV fund-raiser for a women's forum. He was greeted by Vibeke Hollekim, Mette Moberg and Tone Skjelbostad.
Pope John Paul II, meanwhile, had died in Rome a few days earlier. Crown Prince Haakon thus attended a requiem mass in Oslo after leaving the women's crisis center on Thursday April 7. He was received at St Olav's Church in Oslo by Oslo's Catholic bishop, Gerhard Schwenzer.
Two days later, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit posed outside the residence of Norway's ambassador to Great Britain in London, en route to the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles.
Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit, here sporting an unusual hair ornament, represented Norway's royal family at the wedding in Windsor on April 9. Queen Sonja had traveled to Rome the day before for the pope's funeral while Crown Prince Haakon stayed home in Oslo to lead the weekly Council of State.
From London, Crown Prince Haakon flew on to Japan, where he was royally received by his Japanese counterpart, Crown Prince Naruhito. Haakon went on to represent Norway at the World's Exhibition (EXPO 2005) in Aichi.
Crown Prince Haakon will soon be hosting Crown Prince Naruhito's parents, when the Emperor and Empress of Japan make a state visit to Norway in May.
Norway's crown prince showed little sign of jet lag on April 12 when he attended a cooking class at Akasaka Elementary School in Tokyo. The students were working with Norwegian salmon.
Two days later, on April 14th, Crown Prince Haakon was back in Oslo and back on the job for the TV fund-raiser to aid battered women. He greeted other program "ambassadors" including (from left) singer Bjarne Brøndbo, hotel tycoon Petter Stordalen and singer Sissel Kyrkjebø.
The whole group posed afterwards, from left, singer Bjarne Brøndbo, hotel investor Petter Stordalen, singer Sissel Kyrkjebø, Labour Party leader and former Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, Crown Prince Haakon, Development Minister Hilde Frafjord Johnson, Same leader Ole Henrik Magga and singer Bertine Zetlitz.
Other royal duties waited that day as well. Croatia's president Stipe Mesic and his wife Milka were in Norway and the crown couple formally received them at the Royal Palace in Oslo on April 14th.
The royal reception included the obligatory photo. Croatian President Stipe Mesic (right) and his wife Milka stood side by side with Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit. And that concludes snapshots from two weeks in the life of a prince.Crown Princess Mette-Marit has bowed out of several events during recent weeks, claiming illness, just as the royal program has been in one of its busiest phases ever.
That's left Crown Prince Haakon and his mother, Queen Sonja, handling the brunt of the royal duties as King Harald recovers from heart surgery. Princess Martha Louise recently delivered her own second child, and is thus out of official action herself.
A statement from the palace Monday afternoon reported that the so-called "crown couple" expect their second child in December. That suggests Crown Princess Mette-Marit's pregnancy is in a relatively early stage.
The statement went on to report that, "on the advice of her doctor," the crown princess "will take it easy" during the near future. "The situation isn't dramatic, but the doctor's advice may lead to changes in Crown Princess Mette-Marit's program," the palace concluded.
That program has been fairly full, given all the official events and festivities planned in accordance with the celebration of Norway's 100th anniversary as a sovereign nation this year. Centennial events are planned through the rest of the year, with the high points coming in May and June.
Mette-Marit was in her hometown of Kristiansand, on Norway's southern coast, on Monday when the announcement of her pregnancy came. She's due to officially open a children's film festival there on Tuesday.
Haakon and Mette-Marit already have a daughter, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, who was born last January and is next in line to inherit the throne after her father. Mette-Marit also has a son, Marius, from an earlier relationship before she met the crown prince.
The announcement of the pending royal birth in Oslo came on the same day that the crown couple in Denmark also announced that they were expecting a baby. Crown Prince Frederik was Crown Prince Haakon's best man, and the two royal families have traditionally close ties.
