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Statue unveiling tremendous success  Hundreds of Norwegian American enthusiasts gathered at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Washington DC on Sunday, September 18th, 2005. In attendance were their Majesties King Harald V and Queen Sonja, Princess Ragnhild and Princess Astrid, Vice President Walter Mondale along with other officials in the Norwegian American community.
At 1:00pm on September 18th, King Harald V unveiled the statue depicting his mother, Crown Princess Märtha. Approx. 850 people attended the unveiling ceremony.
Statue with group From the left:
Knut Vollebaek, Queen Sonja, Chairman of the Norwegian American Foundation Loren Anderson, King Harald V, Walter Mondale, Princess Ragnhild and her husband Erling Lorentzen, CEO of the Norwegian American Foundation Kim Nesselquist, the creator of the statue Kirsten Kokkin, Johan Martin Ferner and Princess Astrid, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Petersen.
Kirsten Kokkin, an acclaimed sculptor born in Norway and now living in Colorado, designed the full size bronze sculpture as a special commission from the Norwegian American Foundation on behalf of the Norwegian American community.
Statue with King Harald V and Queen Sonja
This commemorative statue of the late HRH Crown Princess Märtha was presented as a gift from the United States to the citizens of Norway during the 2005 Centennial Celebration to honor the special relationship that exists between the two countries.
King Harald V with sisters Ragnhild and AstridKing Harald, Princess Ragnhild and Princess Astrid were together in Washington, D.C., for the first time since World War II.
The Crown Princess escaped Norway in 1940 on the eve of the German invasion with her three children. She found refuge first in Sweden, then in the United States after accepting an invitation from President Franklin Roosevelt. The Royal Norwegian Embassy, where the statue now stands, is familiar territory to them all as they were frequent visitors to Norway's Ambassador at the time.
Separated from then Crown Prince Olav for what would be five difficult years of WWII, Crown Princess Märtha and her children lived in Washington, D.C., 
where she was active in the Red Cross and played a significant role in ensuring Norway's occupation was not overlooked. Her influence on her country's behalf earned her deep respect and admiration from Americans and influenced President Roosevelt's famous “Look to Norway” speech in 1942.
Norwegian American FoundationThe dramatic gift was announced in October 2003 by former Vice President Walter Mondale, Chairman of the Centennial Gift Committee of the Norwegian American Foundation. It was welcomed by Norwegian officials and the royal family. All Norwegian-American organizations, as well as interested individuals, were invited and encouraged to contribute to the centennial gift honoring HRH Crown Princess Märtha as an organized effort to support the 2005 Norway Centennial Celebration. A book has been placed inside the Royal Norwegian Embassy listing all the participating sponsors of the statue.
The Norwegian American Foundation was represented at a press conference by CEO Kim Nesselquist, Chairman Loren Anderson, Vice President Walter Mondale, and Roger Moe.
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