Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB
Gala dinner cancelled after train crash: Queen Sonja in Málaga
The gala dinner Queen Sonja was due to attend in Málaga has been cancelled after the train crash that killed 68 people. The opening of the exhibition Munch-Picasso goes ahead, but toned down.
The gala dinner Queen Sonja was due to attend in Málaga on Thursday evening has been cancelled after the major train crash in Spain. The opening of the exhibition Munch-Picasso at the Museo Picasso Málaga will still go ahead, but in a quieter form.
"Museo Picasso Málaga has confirmed that the planned opening of the exhibition will go ahead, but the opening will be somewhat toned down and the gala dinner after the opening has been cancelled", Royal Court communications adviser Liv Anette Luane told VG. TV 2 was first to report the story.
Her first trip since the King died
The trip to Spain is the Queen's first official journey abroad since King Harald died in August. Minister of Culture and Equality Lubna Jaffery and the Mayor of Oslo, Anne Lindboe, will also attend the opening.
Friday's programme is unchanged, the Royal Court says. The Queen will then visit the Norwegian School in Benalmádena on the Costa del Sol, where she will meet pupils and staff.
68 dead in the train crash
On Wednesday morning two high-speed trains collided near Urda, south of Madrid. 68 people have been confirmed dead and dozens are injured. According to NRK, it is Spain's worst rail accident in more than 13 years. The country has declared three days of national mourning, and the rescue work is still under way.
Several museums in Spain have also cancelled events. The Prado in Madrid has cancelled everything that was planned, and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum has suspended all public activities until Saturday.
King Felipe has cleared his calendar after the crash, so that he and Queen Letizia can visit the injured and meet the families of those who died.
King Haakon sent his condolences
On Thursday King Haakon sent a telegram of condolence to King Felipe. He wrote that he was deeply affected by the accident.
"On behalf of myself and the Norwegian people, I wish to express my sincere sympathy to you and the Spanish people. I also ask you to convey my deepest condolences to the bereaved families and everyone else affected by this tragic event", the King wrote.
More than 100 works by Munch and Picasso
The exhibition Munch-Picasso brings together more than 100 paintings, drawings and prints by the two artists. It is the first time they have been shown together in this way. The exhibition is about the themes they both cared about: love and desire, illness and death, loneliness and anxiety.
The Munch Museum in Oslo is a partner, and several of the works are on loan from Norwegian museums, among them Kode in Bergen. The art historian Paloma Alarcó has put the exhibition together. It opens to the public on Friday 30 October and runs until 28 February 2027.