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Christmas food, gifts, and family are a regular feature of most Norwegians during the Christmas celebration, and the same applies to our royal family.
And few know more about how it goes when the king and queen invite in, than the royal house expert and former castle lackey, Tove Taalesen. She refers to the royal seat as the royal couple’s favorite place to spend Christmas.
– There is nothing as magical as the royal seat at Christmas. It will be like an old-fashioned Prøysen Christmas. It’s like entering a Disney world she dreamed of when she was little, she says.
See the full interview at the top of the case!
Eat porridge and walk around the Christmas tree
All families have their traditions, including the royal family. When Queen Maud and King Haakon arrived in Norway in 1905, they decided to invite the entire castle staff to a Christmas closing.
Employees were invited to the great ballroom where a large Christmas tree was decorated. This is a tradition that the king and queen have continued.
Taalesen has also participated in such a celebration.
– It is absolutely fantastic to experience the castle decorated for Christmas. Such a celebration is quite festive, they walk around the Christmas tree and eat porridge together, before they finish handing out Christmas presents, he explains.
Some of what she has received as a gift are plates with the monogram of the royal couple.
Royal traditions
While the British royal family are happy to present seven different outfits for your celebration, our own royal family takes a slightly more laid-back approach. But there is still a difference.
– In Norwegian families, it is often Santa Claus who comes with the gifts. With the royal family, all the gifts are on a table. It will not be as chaotic as with most other families.
This year, the royal family will celebrate Christmas together in Skaugum. Photograph: Håkon Mosvold Larsen / NTB
She explains that everyone has their own table where the gifts are placed. There, everyone can open their gifts and have a good overview of what they have received.
– This is something that the British and Norwegian royal families do.
Pig with apple in mouth
Taalesen cannot give a concrete answer to what the royal family eats at Christmas, but he tells a story that he has heard through Princess Märtha. The story of when Princess Astrid was going to celebrate Christmas in Brazil.
“Princess Astrid had been very careful that they had piglets for Christmas, and she tried to explain to the maid how important it was that the pig be served with an apple in its mouth and parsley in its ears,” says Taalesen.
But when you don’t know the tradition yourself, it can be easy to misunderstand, and it all ended with the maid herself posing with an apple in her mouth and parsley in her ears.
Decorate with a conversation opener
Taalesen himself has brought with him one of the queen’s holiday traditions.
– The queen is good at using art objects and things that she has previously received as gifts as part of the decorated party table.
The former lackey says the queen has an eye for detail and is used to entertaining many guests. So sometimes it can be nice to have something to help the conversation flow.
– The queen can, for example, present a vase that she has received as a gift from one of the guests, so it adds a little touch to the guest and is a good conversation starter for the other guests, she explains.
Christmas Eve itself for the royal family is a private event. The castle has informed NTB that this year the whole family will celebrate in Skaugum with the Crown Prince’s family.
