Norwegian royals find safe haven in the port of Cork
The atrocious weather forced His Majesty, King Harald V, and Queen Sonja, who arrived in Ireland aboard their royal yacht on Monday, to scrap plans to sail into Cork. They instead travelled from Dublin by road on Tuesday for the second leg of their State visit. Their yacht, the Norge, sailed from Dublin through gales and heavy seas and berthed on the North Custom Quay yesterday morning.Amid tight security, the couple and their 50-strong delegation, which included Norway’s Trade and Industry Minister, Odd Eirksen, started the day at the naval base in Haulbowline.
King Harald, who turns 70 next February, unveiled a plaque at the Alexandra Stairs — named in 1885 after the then Princess of Wales, Princess Alexandra — great-grandmother of both the King of Norway and the Queen of England.
