The Royal Norwegian Order of Merit (Norwegian: ''Den Kongelige Norske Fortjenstorden'' (Bokmål) or ''Den Kongelege Norske Fortenesteordenen'' (Nynorsk)) was instituted by

King Olav V Olav V (; born Prince Alexander of Denmark; 2 July 1903 – 17 January 1991) was the King of Norway from 1957 until his death in 1991. Olav was the only child of King Haakon VII of Norway and Maud of Wales. He became heir apparent to the Norw ...

in 1985. It is awarded to foreigners, Norwegian citizens living abroad,

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

diplomats, foreign civil servants in Norway, and Norway's honorary consuls for "outstanding service in the interests of Norway". Its counterpart, the

Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a cit ...

, is generally only awarded to Norwegian citizens living in Norway.

Structure and insignia

The reigning monarch, King Harald V, is the Grand Master of the Order. The order has five grades: Grand Cross, Commander (which is further subdivided into Commander with Star and Commander), and Knight (which is further subdivided into Knight 1st Class and Knight).According to Norwegian denomination The Order is characterized by a ribbon of deep blue moiré. The Grand Cross is worn on a broad sash that hangs over the right shoulder. The Commander's Cross is worn around the neck on ribbon of the Order. The Knight's Cross is worn over the left breast on a ribbon. Women wear both the Commander's Cross and the Knight's Cross over the left breast on a ribbon of the Order that has been fashioned into a bow. Unlike the Order of St. Olav, the insignia of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit are the property of the recipient.

Conferment

Applications are submitted through the Protocol Department of the Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The King receives the applications and confers the Order based on the council of the Lord Chamberlain of the Court, the Chief Protocol of the Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Head of Chancery of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav.

Recipients

;Grand Crosses * Gabriele Albertini * Prince Ali bin Hussein *

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* Juliana Awada *

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* Armand De Decker * Laurent Fabius * Werner Fasslabend * Jaime Gama * Princess Ghida Talal *

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* Vytautas Landsbergis *

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* Wolfgang Schüssel * Prince Talal bin Muhammad *

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* Pieter van Vollenhoven *

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;Commanders with Star *

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* Grażyna Bernatowicz * Micael Bydén *

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* Franklin Miller *

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* Kjell H. Halvorsen *

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* Mariss Jansons *

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;Knights *

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References

{{reflist

External links

The Royal Norwegian Order of Merit
Website of the Royal Court

(in Norwegian) Website of the Royal Court Merit (Norway), Royal Norwegian Order of 1985 establishments in Norway

Structure and insignia

Conferment

Recipients

See also

References

External links