Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra holds first audience

Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway has held her first audience as Crown Princess.

The Crown Princess received representatives of Operasjon Dagsverk in her new office in the Arcade Room, the heir to the throne’s traditional office.

Operasjon Dagsverk was first organised in 1964, and each year Norwegian students select an international project to receive support. Norwegian students give up one day of school to work in solidarity with young people worldwide fighting for their right to education. The proceeds from this year’s campaign will support safer and fairer schools in South Africa, and the Crown Princess was introduced to the campaign’s background and goals.

Kristin Mansaray, head of Operation Day Work, said, “It was a great pleasure to meet the Crown Princess at the castle. She was very interested in learning more about the education situation in South Africa and was particularly concerned that it is young people themselves who are at the forefront of the work. Access to safe and good education should not depend on where in the world you were born, and it means a lot that it is being promoted in an arena like this.”

Nosicelo Ngomana from Equal Education said, “It was great to meet the Crown Princess and tell her about our work in South Africa. We are very happy that she cares about the education of young people in South Africa. It gives us extra motivation to continue our work. When students in Norway spend a day supporting our fight, we feel that we are together.”

Nicole Becerra Vivanco, deputy chair of SAIH, said, “It is not every day that we get to talk about solidarity and education at the castle, and we appreciate the opportunity to highlight how important education is in combating differences and creating a good future for pupils and students around the world.”