"We could not manage without you": King thanks county governors

King Haakon and Queen Sonja welcomed the country's county governors to dinner at the Royal Palace in Oslo on Tuesday evening. In his speech the King thanked them for the work they do every time the royal family visits the counties.

"Thank you so much for the great effort you make when we come to visit. You help create good memories for a great many people. And we could not manage without you," the King said.

Behind every royal visit

The county governor, in Norwegian statsforvalter, is the state's highest representative in each county. Until 2021 the post was called fylkesmann. Among other things, the county governor makes sure that the municipalities follow the law, and plays an important role when accidents and crises happen.

When the King, the Queen or other members of the royal family visit a county, the county governor has a special responsibility for making the visit as good as possible, both the arrangements around it and its content. The county governor also acts as host during the visit.

Dinner was served at a long table decorated with candles and flowers, and the mood around the table was good.