The Tall Ships' Races

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Crown Princess Mette-Marit our Royal Patron

Crown Princess Mette-Marit is the royal patron for the 2010 Tall ShipsRaces in Kristiansand. The Mayor of Kristiansand, Mr. Per Sigurd Sørensen, is both proud and happy that a local girl has said yes to the job. The Crown Princess is already patron of the full rigger Sørlandet and has even been a member of the crew when she was a school girl in her hometown of Kristiansand.

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H.K.H. Kronprinsessen er Tall Ships`Races Kristiansand høye beskytter

“It is of huge significance for this great event that the Crown Princess has shown such a personal interest. We hope that we will be fortunate enough in having the Crown Princess and the Crown Prince, as well as their children – yes, perhaps the whole family – attending the Tall Ships Race. If that were to happen, this event will generate even more national and international attention,” says Mr. Sørensen.

“It would be really fantastic for us if the Royal Yacht Norge anchored in Kristiansand harbour during the event at the end of July and early August in 2010,” say a hopeful Mayor.

A Royal Member of the Crew

The Director of the foundation for The Full-rigged Ship Sørlandet, Leif Brestrup, is also full of praise for Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s commitment to the sailing ship Sørlandet and the Tall Ships Races.

“As a school girl when she grew up in Kristiansand, Mette-Marit had been a member of the crew. From a relatively early stage in her life she has had a fondness for the training ship. A few years ago when she agreed to be the royal patron of the Sørlandet, she sent me a picture of herself on board the ship in which she wore a t-shirt with the Sørlandet’s logo on it. Receiving that was a lovely surprise,” says Mr. Brestrup.

Leif Brestrup recalls that Crown Prince Olav in his time was the royal patron for a Norwegian training ship. Then it was the Christian Radic which had royal patronage, but that ceased when he became king in 1958.

“But King Olav was always very enthusiastic about the three Norwegian sailing ships and once sent out an appeal to public and business organizations to take care of what the cultural treasures of the Statsraad Lehmkuhl, the Christian Radic and the Sørlandet represented,” Mr. Brestrup recalls.

Becomes the Royal Patron

Over 40 years after Olav had become king, Mr. Brestrup approached the Palace in 2003 asking for a royal patron for the Sørlandet. What a very pleasant surprise it was, when he received the positive news that HRH Crown Princess Mette-Marit would be pleased to become the sailing ship’s royal patron.

“It didn’t take long before the Christian Radic’s owner found out that it was advantageous to have a royal patron. They applied to HRH Crown Prince Haakon to be royal patron, and were accepted. Now it is only the Statsraad Lehmkuhl, which doesn’t have any royal connections and they’re rather sad about that,” says Leif Brestrup, the Director. He points out that he keeps Crown Princess Mette-Marit regularly up-dated with details of their sailing plan, and also with their magazine and annual report. “I know she appreciates this,” Mr. Bresterup says, who has himself had an audience with the Crown Princess to inform her about the sailing ship and its work.

The last time Crown Princess Mette-Marit was aboard the Sørlandet was in 2007 during the 80th Jubilee for the full-rigged ship. Then she was invited for a trip around the sea approaches to Kristiansand and took the helm – not least for the benefit of the press!

Historical Tradition

According to the Royal Family’s Internet pages, royal patronage has a long historic tradition. In earlier and more troubled times it could often be a matter of physical protection by providing bodyguards or a letter of protection from a king or royalty. Today the arrangement is in recognition of an organization’s or event’s importance to the community.
Applications for royal patronage are continuously assessed and reviewed in connection with the Royal Family’s programme and areas of interest. According to the Palace, in order for consent to be given to a patronage, the organization must be well established, be financially sound and uncontroversial. Usually the patronage is granted for a five-year period and organizations must reapply if they wish the patronage to continue.
Patronage can also be granted for individual events, such as the Tall Ships’ Races in Kristiansand in 2010, or exhibitions, tours and conferences.

H.R.H. Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s Permanent Royal Patronages:
• The Amandus Film Festival
• FOKUS – forum for women and development
• The Kristiansand International Children’s Film Festival
• The Norwegian Red Cross
• The Norwegian Scout Association
• The Norwegian Design Council
• Oslo International Church Music Festival
• Risør Festival of Chamber Music
• The Norwegian Council for Mental Health
• The Full-Rigged Ship Sørlandet