Belgian royals head to Oslo for state visit

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium have begun their state visit to Norway.

According to the website of the Norwegian royal house, “The visit marks the close and good relationship between Norway and Belgium. Belgium is an important partner and a close ally. Norway and Belgium have good cooperation in areas such as energy, business, defence, and culture. The visit emphasises the importance of unity between democracies at a time when the geopolitical situation challenges our common values.”

Heihei ! 🇳🇴⁰🤩 Le Roi et la Reine entament une visite d’État de trois jours en Norvège. Ils sont accueillis à l’aéroport d’Oslo par le Prince héritier Haakon. pic.twitter.com/C1i3fMRElL

— Belgian Royal Palace (@MonarchieBe) March 24, 2026

The Belgian King and Queen were welcomed at the airport by Crown Prince Haakon before heading to the Palace Square for the official welcome ceremony. The two countries’ national anthems were played, and King Philippe and Crown Prince Haakon inspected an honour guard from the King’s Guard.

Inside the royal palace, an official photo was taken in the Bird Room, where Crown Princess Mette-Marit was also present. She will not be joining the rest of the state visit due to health concerns.

Crown Prince Haakon then accompanied the King and Queen to Akershus Fortress, where the King of the Belgians laid a wreath at the Norwegian National Monument. An official lunch at the royal palace then took place. 

La journée se clôture par un banquet d’Etat offert par le Roi Harald V et la Reine Sonja. 🇧🇪♥️🇳🇴 pic.twitter.com/1Pu7B9hYEI

— Belgian Royal Palace (@MonarchieBe) March 24, 2026

In the evening, the royals attended a gala dinner at the palace. This was attended by King Philippe, Queen Mathilde, King Harald, Queen Sonja and Crown Prince Haakon.