– Personally, I have dreaded, says a moved queen Sonja. – You do not know how to react to these bad things. But I think it is a very nice calm here and very nice to experience what has been done here, and thoughts about the future. It is so promising and so good that it puts a little conditioner on the wound. 69 people, mainly young people, were shot and killed on Utøya. – It could not have been worse That it was a youth organization that was attacked, makes a strong impression. – It could not have been worse. It can not, says the king. The day after the terrorist attacks in 2011, King Harald, Queen Sonja and Crown Prince Haakon went to Sundvolden, where survivors and relatives after the massacre on Utøya were gathered. They listened, comforted and were close. Photo: Andersen, Kristoffer Øverli / Scanpix They have participated in memorial ceremonies, visited the wounded at the hospital and met survivors, also last year in connection with the ten-year commemoration. Now they wanted to see Utøya with their own eyes. – You have to come here to really understand how terrible it must have been, says King Harald. It was important to them both as fellow human beings and as the country’s royal couple. – This is important about a horrible part of Norway’s history, says King Harald. Photo: Heiko Junge / NTB – Utøya survives The royal couple were received and shown around by AUF leader Astrid Hoem, who herself survived the attack on Utøya, leader of the National Support Group after July 22, Lisbeth Røyneland, who lost her daughter on Utøya, and general manager of Utøya Jørgen Watne Frydnes. – One can only imagine what it has been like to be here during what happened. It must have been awful. No one could know where they were going, or what was happening either. says King Harald. – What has made the most impression? – For me, it is the whole, and the fact that life goes on. The whole with how horrible this must have been, and so that they have had to move on. And Utøya remains. They did not manage to destroy what was here, says King Harald. – What was here lives on in the best of times. It’s really good. And then we must remember that the values that were tried to be destroyed are something each and every one of us must defend every single day so that the democracy we have can live on, says Queen Sonja. Photo: Heiko Junge / NTB – Time does not heal all wounds One month after the attacks in 2011, there was a national commemoration. Oslo Spektrum was filled with relatives, survivors and aid crews. Photo: Cornelius Poppe / NTB scanpix It took almost twelve minutes to read out the names of the 77 people who were killed on July 22 in the Government Quarter and on Utøya. King Harald then went to the pulpit and looked out over the mourners. – As a father, grandfather and spouse, I can only sense some of their pain. As the king of the country, I feel for each of you, King Harald spoke, and his voice broke. The king was clearly affected by the seriousness when they spoke during the official memorial service for 22.7 on Sunday. Last year it was ten years since the terrorist attacks on July 22. In his speech then, the king said that time does not heal all wounds. – No, it does not. It does not. Unfortunately. So this is something we have to take with us further, says King Harald today.
ttn-69
The royal couple visited Utøya for the first time – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
