The British Parlament

Lord Chancellor,
Mr Speaker,
My Lords,
Members of the House of Commons,
Ladies and gentlemen,

Thank you for your kind words of welcome and for your hospitality. It is a great pleasure for me to address this assembly of distinguished guests and members of both Houses of Parliament – many of you members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Norway.

Queen Sonja and I are grateful for the invitation by Her Majesty The Queen to make this “Special Visit” to the United Kingdom. We are here as family, and as close friends and allies of the British people. To us this visit is special, and so is this year of anniversaries: of Norway’s independence as a nation, of the end of the Second World War and of the establishment of the United Nations. All three events have been crucial in defining Norwegian values and who we are as a nation. On all three occasions, Britain and Norway worked have together towards the same goal.

Not only this year, but also this day, is special. On this very day, one hundred years ago, King Oscar II of Sweden renounced his right to the Norwegian throne. Remarkably, the union was brought to a peaceful end following a near-unanimous referendum. Norway was again an independent nation.

My grandparents, King Haakon VII and Queen Maud, were chosen as modern Norway’s first King and Queen. Through Maud, King Edward VII’s youngest daughter, Norway reinforced its close ties with Britain, ties that were of crucial importance in uncertain times. A sign of our close relations was that Britain was among the very first nations to recognise Norway as an independent nation.

But British influence on Norwegian society was already well established. The Norwegian constitution of 1814 was inspired by the Magna Carta as well as the American and French constitutions, designed to respect and protect the rights of fellow citizens. In 1884 our parliament, the Storting, introduced the parliamentary system, much influenced by the British political system.

Another anniversary this year bears witness to the close relations between the United Kingdom and Norway: the end of the Second World War 60 years ago. For Norway, the end of the war meant the end of occupation. Thanks to our allies, not least the United Kingdom, we could celebrate our independence for the second time in the 20th century.

During the war you hosted the King, the Crown Prince and the Norwegian government in exile. King Haakon addressed Their Majesties King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in November 1945 with the following words:

“I will never forget the kindness you showed us in those days, which were dark for Great Britain too. Not for a moment you gave up hope, neither did the British nation in those dark days. We Norwegians can never thank Great Britain enough for your spirit, the very cause of our nation’s freedom today. I got so much sympathy in Great Britain during the years of war, that I will seize this opportunity to thank you all”.

It is with great reverence that I reiterate my grandfather’s words today, 60 years later.

This week we are also celebrating that the United Nations was established 60 years ago in a unified effort to prevent future wars. Both the United Kingdom and Norway were among the founding nations. The importance of international co-operation is as vital today as it was then. We cannot individually solve the global challenges we are facing – whether it is poverty, epidemics such as AIDS and malaria, natural disasters or terrorism. In order to prevent war and suffering we must continue to co-operate in the global arena.

Lord Chancellor, Mr Speaker,
On behalf of the Norwegian people I would like to express our gratitude to this Parliament and to the British people for all their support throughout the past 100 years. Your country has been a friend and an inspiration to us all in so many fields.

I am sure that our good relations will prosper in the centuries to come.