Queen Sonja of Norway opens Munch-Picasso show in Málaga after Spain train crash

Return to public duties

Queen Sonja of Norway resumed her public role on Thursday, 29 October, travelling to Málaga for her first international trip since King Harald V died on 28 August at the age of 89. Her purpose was to open the Munch-Picasso exhibition at the Museo Picasso Málaga, which brings together more than 100 works by Edvard Munch and Pablo Picasso. Her son, King Haakon, now sits on the Norwegian throne. The programme had been built as a celebratory two-day event, but it was reshaped after a train collision near Urda in Toledo province. The queen was still received with full honours, and the opening went ahead in a more restrained form, attended by Anne Lindboe, mayor of Oslo, and Lubna Jaffery, Norway's minister of culture and equality.

The Urda train crash

Two high-speed trains collided near Urda on Wednesday, 28 October, killing at least 69 people, according to Europa Press in a report published on Friday, 30 October. Numerous others were injured. Earlier reports gave different tolls: La Razón put the number at 74 and ABC at 68 in reports from 29 October, so the figure has been reported with variation. Spain declared three days of national mourning in response. King Haakon sent his condolences to King Felipe VI and the Spanish people, according to La Razón. ABC described the accident as the most serious in Spain in the last decade, while La Razón noted it was the second such accident in the country this year.

The ceremony and the cancelled dinner

A minute of silence was held at the start of the exhibition opening on Thursday. Stern reported that the queen began her speech with words about the disaster before turning to the artworks. She said she had been deeply saddened to hear of the accident and that her thoughts were with the families and friends of those who had died. She also spoke about her personal ties to the two artists, saying that Picasso had inspired her as a teenager and that Munch's work had accompanied her throughout her life. Norwegian broadcasters NRK and TV2 confirmed that the gala dinner planned for that evening had been cancelled. The Museo Picasso Málaga had announced that morning that the event would still take place, but in a quieter form than planned.

Friday's programme

The programme continues on Friday, 30 October, when the queen is due to visit the Norwegian school in Arroyo de la Miel, in Benalmádena, according to ABC. There she is expected to meet pupils and teaching staff and learn about the school's activities. ABC reported that she will also have contact with Norwegian families who have settled on the Costa del Sol. Europa Press described the school visit as the final stage of her first international trip since the king's death, before she returns to Norway.