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09-08-2005 23:00
Royal News: Norway's King Harald V is set to unveil a gift to the country from Norwegian Americans.
The present - a stunning bronze statue of the late Crown Princess Märtha - will be uncovered in front of the Norwegian Embassy in Washington, DC, next month.
The much-loved princess, who died in 1954, was married to the late King Olav of Norway and was King Harald's mother.
She is being honoured for the way she promoted the country's world visibility during World War Two, as part of the Norwegian American Foundation's 2005 centennial celebrations.
The crown princess and her three children lived in Washington after escaping Norway on the eve of the German invasion in 1940.
While in America the princess was active in the Red Cross and played a large role in ensuring Norway's occupation wasn't overlooked. Her influence on her country's behalf earned her deep respect and admiration from Americans.
At the end of the war in 1945 she and her children returned to Norway. The commemorative statue - designed and sculpted by Kirsten Kokkin - also celebrates the special ties between the US, which was one of the first countries to acknowledge Norway's sovereign status in 1905, and Norway.
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