Order of St. Olav - Current Holders of The Grand Cross

Current Holders of The Grand Cross

This list contains 94 holders of the Grand Cross, 21 of which have also been awarded the Collar and gives the year of their appointment. The list is collated alphabetically by last name, those recipients not possessing a last name, such as royalty and most Icelanders are collated by first name. 6 of the listed are not heads of states or royals, these are marked by names in bold. Before the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit was created in 1985, the Order of St Olav was awarded to members of a foreign delegation during state visits. Many holders of the grand cross who are not Heads of state are not listed here.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it. This list was last updated on 12 October 2012.
Country Name Title, Position Grand Cross
with Collar
Grand Cross Year of appointment
Austria Heinz Fischer President Y 2007
Belgium Albert II King Y 1964
Belgium Mathilde Crown Princess Y 2003
Belgium Paola Queen Y 1997
Belgium Philippe Crown Prince Y 2003
Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva President Y 2003
Bulgaria Georgi Parvanov President Y 2006
United Kingdom Andrew Prince Y 1988
United Kingdom Charles Crown Prince Y 1978
United Kingdom Edward Prince Y 1988
Commonwealth realms Elizabeth II Queen Y 1955
Commonwealth realms Philip Prince Consort Y 1952
United Kingdom Richard Prince Y 1973
Croatia Ivo Josipović President Y 2011
Denmark Benedikte Princess Y 1974
Denmark Frederik Crown Prince Y 1990
Denmark Henrik Prince Consort Y 1968
Denmark Joachim Prince Y 1991
Denmark Margrethe II Queen Y 1958
Denmark Mary Crown Princess Y 2005
Estonia Arnold Rüütel 3rd President Y 2002
Finland Martti Ahtisaari 10th President Y 1994
Finland Mauno Koivisto 9th President Y 1983
Finland Sauli Niinistö 12th President Y 2012
Finland Tarja Halonen 11th President Y 2000
France Jacques Chirac former President Y 2000
France Valéry Giscard d'Estaing former President (when Minister of Finance) Y 1962
Germany Roman Herzog former President Y 1998
Germany Horst Köhler former President Y 2007
Germany Marianne von Weizsäcker former first lady Y 1986
Germany Richard von Weizsäcker former President Y 1986
Greece Constantine II former King Y Y 1964, 1962
Greece Constantinos Stephanopoulos 6th President Y 2004
Hungary Árpád Göncz former President Y 1999
Hungary Ferenc Mádl former President Y 2002
Iran Farah Pahlavi former Empress Y 1965
Iceland Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson 5th President Y 1998
Iceland Vigdís Finnbogadóttir 4th President Y 1982
Italy Carlo Azeglio Ciampi former President Y 2001
Japan Akihito Emperor Y Y 2001, 1953
Japan Masako Crown Princess Y 2001
Japan Michiko Empress Y 2001
Japan Naruhito Crown Prince Y 2001
Japan Tomohito of Mikasa Princess Y 2001
Jordan Abdullah II King Y 2000
Jordan Hassan Prince (former Crown Prince) Y ?
Jordan Rania Queen Y 2000
Latvia Guntis Ulmanis former President Y 1998
Latvia Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga former President Y 2000
Lithuania Valdas Adamkus former President Y 1998
Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė President Y 2011
Luxembourg Henri Grand Duke Y 2011
Luxembourg Jean Grand Duke Y 1964
Luxembourg Maria Teresa Grand Duchess Y 1996
Netherlands Beatrix Queen Y 1964
Netherlands Margriet Princess Y 1964
Netherlands Willem-Alexander Crown Prince Y 1996
Norway Astrid Princess Y 1956
Norway Kjell Magne Bondevik former Prime Minister Y 2004
Norway Niels Christian Ditleff Diplomat Y 1946
Norway Lars Petter Forberg Master of the Royal Household Y 2004
Norway Haakon Crown Prince Y 1991
Norway Magne Hagen former secretary to the King Y 2000
Norway Harald V King Y
Grand Master
1955, 1991
Norway Kaare Langlete former Master of the Royal Household Y 1993
Norway Jørgen Hårek Kosmo former President of the Norwegian Parliament Y 2005
Norway Märtha Louise Princess Y 1989
Norway Mette-Marit Crown Princess Y 2001
Norway Ragnhild Princess Y 1982
Norway Carsten Smith former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Norway Y 2003
Norway Sonja Queen Y 1972
Poland Aleksander Kwaśniewski former President Y 1996
Poland Lech Wałęsa former President Y 1995
Portugal António Ramalho Eanes 17th President Y 1978
Portugal Jorge Sampaio former president Y 2004
Portugal Aníbal Cavaco Silva current president Y 2008
Romania Emil Constantinescu former President Y 1999
Slovakia Ivan Gašparovič President Y 2010
Slovenia Danilo Türk President Y 2011
South Africa Nelson Mandela former President Y 1998
Spain Cristina Princess Y 1995
Spain Elena Princess Y 1995
Spain Felipe Crown Prince Y 1995
Spain Juan Carlos I King Y 1982
Spain Sofía Queen Y 1982
Sweden Carl XVI Gustaf King Y 1974
Sweden Carl Philip Prince Y 2005
Sweden Christina Princess Y 1992
Sweden Désirée Princess Y 1992
Sweden Lilian Princess Y 1992
Sweden Madeleine Princess Y 2005
Sweden Silvia Queen Y 1982
Sweden Victoria Crown Princess Y 1995
Thailand Bhumibol Adulyadej King Y 1960
Thailand Sirikit Queen Y 1965

Read more about this topic:  Order Of St. Olav

Famous quotes containing the words current, holders, grand and/or cross:

    The first opinion that occurs to us when we are suddenly asked about something is usually not our own but only the current one pertaining to our class, position, or parentage; our own opinions seldom swim on the surface.
    Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)

    The doctrine of those who have denied that certainty could be attained at all, has some agreement with my way of proceeding at the first setting out; but they end in being infinitely separated and opposed. For the holders of that doctrine assert simply that nothing can be known; I also assert that not much can be known in nature by the way which is now in use. But then they go on to destroy the authority of the senses and understanding; whereas I proceed to devise helps for the same.
    Francis Bacon (1560–1626)

    We now come to the grand law of the system in which we are placed, as it has been developed by the experience of our race, and that, in one word, is SACRIFICE!
    Catherine E. Beecher (1800–1878)

    Pilate with his question “What is truth?” is gladly trotted out these days as an advocate of Christ, so as to arouse the suspicion that everything known and knowable is an illusion and to erect the cross upon that gruesome background of the impossibility of knowledge.
    Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)