Royals arrive to celebrate King Harald of Norway's 70th birthday

Feb 23, 2007, 16:07 GMT

Oslo - Dozens of royal guests arrived Friday to take part in the ongoing celebrations of Norwegian King Harald on his 70th birthday.

The king turned 70 on Wednesday and was celebrated by parliament while the government hosted a banquet, but celebrations were due to continue over the weekend, including a ball for visiting European royalty.

Among royal guests spotted Friday at Oslo's Gardermoen airport were Swedish King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia, former King Constantine of Greece and former Queen Anne Marie, as well as Danish Prince Joachim, youngest son of Danish Queen Margrethe, Norwegian media reported.

A palace spokesman confirmed that Belgian King Albert and Queen Paola had been forced to cancel their visit.

It was earlier known that Queen Margrethe, who recently underwent knee replacement surgery, would be unable to attend.

King Harald, Queen Sonja and their guests were Friday evening due to attend a gala concert at Oslo City Hall. At the dress rehearsal it emerged that the king's daughter Princess Martha Louise would host the event that featured young performers from all over Norway.

'This gives a twist to royal entertainment and is a gift from Norway's cultural future,' Martha Louise, who has published several story books, said according to news agency NTB.

On Saturday, the royals as well as Finnish President Tarja Halonen were scheduled to visit the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History and round off the day with a ball at the palace.

King Harald, an keen sailor who also enjoys hunting and fishing, has reigned since 1991. He has shown no signs of stepping down although he had announced he would cut back his schedule, handing over some official duties to Crown Prince Haakon.

The king was treated for bladder cancer at the end of 2003 and underwent heart surgery in April 2005.