Vikings of Norwegian stock particularly settled in certain areas of modern day Scotland and Northern England, and to this day many people in these areas carry surnames derived from Old Norse words, such as Ainscough, or are of partial Norwegian descent. In England, Norwegian Vikings began to arrive along the coast of the north west after being driven out of Ireland around the early 10th century. They are principally known for settling in The Wirral and Chester, but evidence has strongly suggested that this expulsion also led to some settling in nearby West Derby Hundred, Amounderness Hundred and Lonsdale Hundred in Lancashire. The Vikings were able to settle comfortably in these areas, as they were sparsely populated at that time. Many place names in this area, such as North Meols, Scholes, Skelmersdale and Grimsargh are of Old Norse origin, as are certain words in Lancashire dialect from this area, such as "skrike". The Cuerdale Hoard and Silverdale Hoard were both discovered within this area. Around the same time, Norwegian Vikings moved on to settle in the area that today is Cumbria. In Scotland, the islands of Shetland and Orkney have longstanding historical connections with Norway.
1900s
Both countries established diplomatic relations in 1905, after Norway’s independence. The UK has an embassy in Oslo. Norway has an embassy in London. Relations, however, go as far back as the Viking Age when Norse Vikings raided the British Isles, founding permanent settlements in the west of England, Isle of Man, the Hebrides in Scotland and the islands of Orkney and Shetland. As a result, the English language has been greatly influenced by the Norwegian language. This cultural bond has persisted to this day, resulting in a close cultural relationship between the two countries. With Norway's complete independence from Sweden, the question arose as to a king for Norway. The choice of Prince Carl of Denmark, who became King Haakon VII, was largely seen as being influenced by two unusual factors: Denmark's being a smaller nation meant that the Balance of Power in Europe would not be upset by Norway's instant alliance with the native land of its new king, and Carl's wife, Maud, was a British princess, which would be expected to lead to a close relationship with the United Kingdom, which could give Norway some protection from German hegemony. During World War I, Norway was neutral. However, due to largely favouring the British over the Germans, Norway came to be known as The Neutral Ally.
During World War II, Norway was invaded and occupied by Germany, forcing the Norwegian king and government to create a government-in-exile in London. The British military also helped train and organize Norwegian commandos to attack Nazi installations in Norway. As a token of appreciation from the Norwegian people to the people of Britain, a Norwegian Christmas Tree is sent every year from Oslo to Trafalgar Square in London. Each year for the last 60 years Newcastle upon Tyne has received a Christmas tree as a gift from the people of Bergen, one of Newcastle’s twin cities. The impressive Norwegian spruce, standing at 45 feet tall, was personally felled by Gunnar Bakke who has been the mayor of Newcastle’s twin city since September 2007. Each year the tree is decorated in traditional Norwegian white lights and is a symbol of peace and goodwill. The people of Norway also send a tree to the town of Great Grimsby every Christmas since the end of World War II, for the past few years the tree has been selected by the people of Sortland.
Brexit
In January 2020, with the imminent departure of Britain from the EU, Norway and the UK signed an exclusive Brexit agreement between the two countries that would aim to maintain existing guarantees for citizens of either.
Modern Day
After the English town of Harwich was badly affected by the North Sea Flood of 1953, in which several people were made homeless, the Norwegian Government responded by funding the building of some wooden houses in the town. Despite being considered temporary, the houses still stand in Harwich today. Norway and the U.K. share mutual border boundary lines in Antarctica, and mutually recognise each other's claims as well as those of Australia, France and New Zealand. Both countries are full members of NATO and of the Council of Europe. There are around 18,000 Norwegians living in the United Kingdom and around 13,395 British people living in Norway. British people are one of the largest immigrant groups in many cities. The cities with the most Britons are Oslo, Stavanger, Bergen, Bærum, Trondheim, Asker, Kristiansand, Drammen and Fredrikstad. Queen Elizabeth II has made three state visits to Norway during her reign, in 1955, 1981 and most recently in 2001 when she was received by King Harald V.
Military relations
The Royal Marines train annually in Norway, and are integrated into Norway's defense plans.
