King of Norway invites Obama to stay at Royal Palace
Omaba might stay in this suite reports Aftenposten. PHOTO: TOR G. STENERSEN / AFTENPOSTEN.
Norway’s King Harald V has invited US President Barack Obama to stay at the Royal Palace when he visits Oslo to accept the Nobel Peace Prize in December.
Prize winners usually stay at Oslo’s well-known landmark; the Grand Hotel, but due to security reasons Obama might stay in a more secure spot, reports Aftenposten. The Grand Hotel is located in the center of Karl Johan’s gate across the street from the Parliament building.
Svein Petter Haslerud, Grand Hotel’s General Manager, has confirmed that there will be a meeting with the American Embassy in Oslo. He suggests that the penthouse Millennium Suite will be suitable for the US president. The Grand Hotel’s 52 suites are famous the world over. For instance, the roof terrace of the Christian Radich Suite, with space to accommodate 300 guests, offers unrivalled views of the capital. The palace usually accommodates only 10-12 visitors at a time. A hotel is probably more suitable for the American president, since he will probably travel with a large group.
When President Clinton visited Norway he stayed at the Hotel Plaza. He booked all the 673 rooms at the hotel.
If Obama accepts the the King’s invitation, he will be installed in the King Haakon VII suite, which have been used for guests since 1907, when Danish King Frederik VIII first used it. If Firts Lady Michelle Obama accompanies her husband, she is invited to use the Queen Maud suite, with views of the park, Aftenposten reports.
So far, only one thing is certain: President Obama will be received in audience by King Harald V at the Royal Palace in the morning, prior to the Nobel ceremony at the City Hall. The Nobel Peace Prize ceremony is traditionally held every year in Oslo on Dec. 10 (at 1 pm), the anniversary of benefactor Alfred Nobel’s death.
Source: Aftenposten
Picture on Norway.com Home Page courtesy of Grand Hotel Oslo.
Nobel Prize winner President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and their daughters, Malia and Sasha, sit for a family portrait in the Green Room of the White House, Sept. 1, 2009. Official White House Photo.
