A long queue of well-wishers

Many marked the occasion by sending their greetings and good wishes online, on paper, as drawings and video clips.

Some 9 300 messages were posted on the congratulatory message register on the kongehuset.no website. They came from Norway and abroad, from individuals and from institutions, from families, school classes, nursery schools and senior centres. The register is no longer open for new entries, but it is possible to read the thousands of congratulatory messages by following on the link in the link list (primarily in Norwegian).

Register of congratulations at the Royal Palace

The official register of congratulations was set up at the main gate of the Royal Palace. The President of the Storting, Mr Olemic Thommessen, was the first to sign, followed by Prime Minister Erna Solberg. Starting at 10:00 am the diplomatic corps had the opportunity to leave their congratulatory messages. Ambassadors from countries around the world came to the Royal Palace to sign the register.

 Well-wishers on their way to the Royal Palace to leave a birthday greeting in the official register of congratulations. Photo: Sven Gj. Gjeruldsen, The Royal Court

Starting at 2:00 pm, the general public had the opportunity to meet up in person at the main gate of the Royal Palace to sign the register. The intention was to close the register at 4:00 pm, but the queue of well-wishers was still long. Everyone who had arrived before 4:00 pm was permitted to sign the register, which remained open for an additional hour and a half to accommodate them all. 

Children’s drawings

Many children have sent lovely drawings to the King, such as this one by six-year-old Martine. 

A selection of drawings will be published on the children’s pages of the kongehuset.no website (Norwegian only). Parents are reminded that they must authorise the publication of the selected drawings, and are encouraged to indicate this on the back of the drawings sent in.

Facebook messages

Many people posted a congratulatory message to the King on the Royal House of Norway’s official Facebook page – Kongehuset. The Nordic Tenors made the most of the opportunity. With the help of their Facebook friends, the musical trio put together this video clip to wish the King a happy birthday:

King Harald spent the day of his birthday together with his family. Both the King and the Queen turn 80 this year, and there will be an official celebration in May.