Thursday 25 January 2018

5 things we already know about the Cambridges in Sweden and Norway


We're down to five days and counting. On January 30th, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge start a four day trip to Sweden and Norway. There's plenty to look forward to including lots of European royal sightings and celeb hangouts for Kate and William as well as a focus on some of the causes most important to the couple. As the trip edges nearer, here are five things we already know about the Cambridges Scandi style....



1. They will be meeting a lot of other royals

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be surrounded by royals throughout their four day adventure. It all starts on January 30th when they arrive in Sweden with a welcome lunch from King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia at the Royal Palace. Also there will be Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel who will spend a lot of time accompanying William and Kate on their visits in Sweden. There's another welcome lunch on arrival in Oslo where King Harald and Queen Sonja will host them at the Royal Palace. William and Kate are staying there which is handy as it's also the location for a black tie dinner during the Norwegian leg of the visit. Crown Prince Haakon Magnus and Crown Princess Mette-Marit will accompany them on several of their outings, too. That's pretty royal all round.


2. They will be spending a lot of time outdoors

Let's hope William and Kate have packed warm because they are spending a lot of time in the snow on this trip. It's still pretty chilly in Sweden and Norway right now but there are big chunks of the official agenda that will see the royal couple in the great outdoors. Straight off the plane, they are heading to an outdoor ice-skating venue to watch a spot of bandy hockey while later in the day there's a walkabout in Stockholm. There are also plans for a nighttime harbour tour - pretty but freezing. In Oslo, William and Kate are heading to the Princess Ingrid Alexandra Sculpture Park while the four day visit ends at Holmenkollen, famous for its ski jump. Don't expect to see the Cambridges trying it out for themselves but do expect to see them looking very chilly as they tour this winter sports stop off.

3. Mental health issues are on the agenda

It's one of the causes most important to their hearts so it's no surprise to see mental health issues taking centre stage. In Sweden, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will spend the best part of day two visiting initiatives linked to mental health. It will includetime at the Karolinska Institute to hear about academic work in psychology and a trip to a Stockholm comprehensive school to learn about the Youth Aware of Mental Health programme. In Norway, they will drop in at MESH which showcases and encourages entrepreneurship including start ups tackling mental health issues. They are also visiting the school which provides the setting for a TV programme, Skam, centred on the issues faced by young people.


4. It's culture vulture time

Oh yes, this visit might only be four days long but William and Kate are packing in the creative points here. In Stockholm they are scheduled to meet some Nobel Laureates at the Nobel Museum just before they head to Sweden's national centre for architecture and design. They're also heading to a Stockholm department store to celebrate some of the British brands making a mark in Sweden and taking part in an evening celebrating contemporary culture at the famous Fotografiska Gallery. Their time in Norway will see them rub shoulders with high profile members of the creative industries at the black tie dinner as well as a chance to learn about Sami culture during their trip to Holmenkollen.


5. Let's play spot the celeb

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge might be the stars of this tour but they've got a sprinkling of celeb magic lined up over the four days. In Stockholm, you can expect to see William and Kate rubbing shoulders with Stellan Skarsgard and Alicia Vikander at a black tie reception hosted by the British ambassador. In Norway, they will be meeting some of the biggest stars of winters sports as they're given tips on reaching the top by the country's under 18 skiers. It's a packed for days and we've not long to wait. Roll on #RoyalTour2018.

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