War, espionage and festive antics - 22nd December 2023

The felling of a gigantic 20 metre tall tree in the forests close to Oslo was observed by a crowd full of respect. Purposefully selected months in advance, it is an expression of appreciation from the people of Oslo to their counterparts in London, as mayor Anne Lindboe clarifies.

Anne Lindboe: "This is a very, very important tradition for us in Oslo. The Christmas tree that we're sending to London every, every year, it's a token of gratitude for the help that we received during the Second World War."

On the invasion of German troops onto Norwegian soil in 1940, King Haakon of Norway sought refuge in the English capital. The tradition of presenting a spruce tree to London to show gratitude was always assumed to have been initiated at the monarch's request. However, what's more recently emerged, is the possibility of an intriguing connection to James Bond.

Paperwork discovered in the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London, indicate that a Norwegian commando named Mons Urangsvåg was on a mission to convey two spruce trees to King Haakon, then living in exile in Britain.

Writer Ian Fleming, renowned for his postwar spy novels with famous protagonist James Bond, caught wind of Urangsvag's assignment. He decided to treat the special forces soldier to a slap-up meal in the prestigious Savoy Hotel, not far from Trafalgar Square. At some point during the evening, they conjured up a plan to tie one of the trees to a balustrade in the square.

Whatever the source of the tradition, gifting the spruce tree is above all a mark of peace and goodwill between the two capitals and the custom is now in its 76th year. Both the felling ceremony and later the illumination ritual in the heart of London are attended by the two mayors, of Oslo and the City of Westminster.

Anne Lindboe: "But it's also become to mean so much more. And, and we are living in these really, really dark times. And now I think the Christmas tree, it symbolises peace, it symbolises standing together, friendship between cities."