Norwegian gift spruces up central London
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One of the most popular Christmas landmarks in the UK's capital is the large tree that adorns Trafalgar Square every year. The tree arrives annually from Norway as a gift in honour of the wartime bond between the two countries.
The story begins with a royal escape over sixty years ago. After the Nazis invaded Norway in 1940, the country's King Haakon VII and his family were forced into hiding for two months before managing to escape by ship to Great Britain.
The Norwegian royal family were welcomed in London. King Haakon set up a government-in-exile there, broadcasting messages of support to the resistance and becoming an important national symbol around which his countrymen could rally.
In memory of the help rendered by the British during the difficult wartime years, the Norwegian people have sent a Norwegian spruce tree to London every year since 1947 and the arrival of the tree, illuminated with white lights in traditional Scandinavian fashion, marks the start of Christmas for many Londoners.
