NordenBladet – With events on Wednesday and Thursday this week, Crown Prince Haakon has concluded his tour of southern Norway to learn more about how the coronavirus pandemic has affected Norway.The Crown Prince’s goal is to learn more about how the coronavirus pandemic has affected various Norwegian industries and the Norwegian people.
Last week the journey started in Østfold, when the Crown Prince visited a virus test station. On Wednesday and Thursday the journey continued to Vestfold and Telemark. This week has been dedicated to Western Norway. Following a visit to Kristiansund on Tuesda, where the Crown Prince was accompanied by the Crown Princess, the couple also visited Florø together on Wednesday.
The royals, upon arrival in Florø, were given a briefing on how the pandemic has been handled in western Norway and the help provided through volunteering in the municipality. Afterwards, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess met with representatives of voluntary organizations. The Crown Prince and Crown Princess met a wide range of people involved in handball, football, local politics, games and hiking teams and heard about their experiences.
The Crown Prince Couple’s Fund launched the project “Move” in 2019. It is a life program for young people who want to use their free time to prepare for the future. Young people in the transition to upper secondary school meet in their spare time and get to test activities, make friends and become better acquainted with their own strengths. The Crown Prince Couple could, in Florø, see the results of parts of this project.
On Thursday the visit continued to the city of Stavanger. Oil and energy industries employ over 40,000 people in Rogaland, and the pandemic has affected the industry in many ways. The Crown Prince and Crown Princess visited Stavanger to listen to the experiences they have had and how they look at the future. Crown Prince Haakon met with representatives of the Business Association in the Stavanger region. Here, the Crown Prince heard presentations and entered into dialogue with representatives of various parts of the industry.
Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess joined the Crown Prince for the second part of the day`s program, when the trip went to Equinor, Rogaland’s largest and most important employer, and operator of around 60 % of all oil-production on the Norwegian shelf. The Crown Prince and Crown Princess heard directly from the oil-platform Johan Sverdrup, which has now been in operation for one year.
Featured image: The Crown Prince Couple in Florø. (Simen Sund / The Royal Court)