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Queen Sonja comes to aid of Norwegian teens

Paul Connolly
Paul Connolly - [email protected]
Queen Sonja comes to aid of Norwegian teens
Queen Sonja. Photo: Lisa Åserud

Two teenagers who came to the aid of an injured girl off the island of Tjøme this week after the girl fell off a boat, were offered assistance by Queen Sonja who was spending her summer holidays at her family’s vacation home nearby.

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Randi Auran Neset from Skien and Markus Solberg Martinsen from Tønsberg, both 19-years-old, told the Norwegian state broadcaster NRK on Thursday that they were out on a boat when they were made aware of a nearby accident - a girl had fallen off a boat and gashed her leg on its propeller.

The two friends decided to move the injured girl over to the royal family’s summer home at Mågerø off Tjøme’s northeast coast. “I thought that the police are always there and it would be easy for an ambulance to get in and pick up the girl,” Martinson told NRK.

After the trio reached the royal pier, the police came quickly to help the injured girl. Queen Sonja arrived soon after with dry clothes and drinks for her unexpected visitors.

Neset and Martinsen told NRK that they later stood on the pier chatting for nearly an hour with the queen, both about what had happened “and normal things.” Neset says it took some time before she realised that it was Queen Sonja. “I thought afterwards, ‘Wow, that was the queen!’”

“I told my parents but they didn’t believe me at first!”

“She asked for our names and where we were from,” Neset said. Both teenagers said they were impressed by the queen’s interest and kindness.

Sven Gjeruldsen, spokesman at the Royal Palace, didn’t want to comment on the incident but confirmed Queen Sonja had an unusual visit Monday evening at Mågerø. “I can confirm that the queen and the police escort helped the injured girl when she came to the royal pier at Mågerø,” Gjeruldsen told NRK.

There has been no news as to the condition of the injured girl.

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