The 80th birthday celebrations for King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway have come to an end. We've had two days of parties, singing, glitter and galas and along the way we got several surprises. From losing facial hair to laughing princesses, here are five surprises from Norway's royal birthday party.
1. The prince who shaved at dinner
The one thing we really didn't think we'd be saying at the end of day one of the royal birthday celebrations was that Crown Prince Haakon Magnus popped out of dinner with dozens of royals to shave his beard off. But we were. Halfway through the glitzy do, the future king nipped out and reappeared without the beard he's been wearing for several years now. The reason for this face changing surprise isn't known but it certainly got everyone talking even if the guest at his side, Queen Silvia, just looked the other way with a wry smile.
2. The royals who danced on a balcony
Haakon Magnus had clearly turned up in the mood to party because as the celebrations got under way on the balcony earlier that evening, he gave us a burst of dance worthy of Ed Balls on Strictly. As thousands of Norwegians joined in a rendition of the Birthday Song for King Harald and Queen Sonja, the heir to the throne really got into the mood with his own version of the celebration. Mette-Marit joined in briefly while Martha Louise gave it her all at the end. And while Haakon was partying at that end of the balcony, his son, Sverre Magnus, was doing a dab at the other end. One happy family and just lovely to see.
Haakon Magnus had clearly turned up in the mood to party because as the celebrations got under way on the balcony earlier that evening, he gave us a burst of dance worthy of Ed Balls on Strictly. As thousands of Norwegians joined in a rendition of the Birthday Song for King Harald and Queen Sonja, the heir to the throne really got into the mood with his own version of the celebration. Mette-Marit joined in briefly while Martha Louise gave it her all at the end. And while Haakon was partying at that end of the balcony, his son, Sverre Magnus, was doing a dab at the other end. One happy family and just lovely to see.
3. A royal shoe fail admission
A spring cruise for special birthday celebrations doesn't make you think snow and hail. However, the glitzy lunch on May 10th for Harald and Sonja hit a weather front that added a touch of frost to proceedings and left one royal guest with a sartorial dilemma. The style icon that is Marie-Chantal of Greece had turned up in a rather lovely nautical style outfit complete with white trousers and velvet trimmed shoes. Except these shoes aren't made for walking in snow and ice. Marie-Chantal didn't let that get in her way, sharing a video of her giggling tentatively towards the ice on her Instagram account. Full marks for style and smiles.
4. Royals do pre party photos too
It's part of social media - ready for a night out in your best and with yours besties at your side? Snap it for posterity and post it on your Insta. That's just what Denmark's Royal Family did as they got ready to hop off their yacht and head into the gala dinner at the Opera given on May 10th in honour of King Harald and Queen Sonja by the Norwegian government. We've got sisters at the centre of it all as Margrethe and Anne-Marie cosy up while Marie and Joachim join in the fun with Mary and Frederik looking like they only got a last minute warning the photo was about to happen. Sadly, not a half drunk glass of Prosecco or a bottle of just used nail varnish in sight. Otherwise, just like the rest of us.
5. Wonderwoman on the balcony
The most asked question of May 9th before Haakon Magnus got the shaving foam out was 'who's that?'. The appearance of a woman in red with a gold tiara on the balcony of the Royal Palace of Oslo at the start of the festivities had many people checking that Wonderwoman hadn't been booked as a birthday prank for the King and Queen of Norway. It turned out the eye catching ensemble had been put together by Desiree Kogavinas, a descendant of King Oscar II of Sweden, who looked rather chilly if very happy in the outfit that got everyone talking as the party started.
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