Norway's princess honored in Germany

Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway received the prestigious Golden Heart award for her work with children at a charity gala in Germany this weekend.

The presentation highlighted the German charity gala "Ein Hertz für Kinder" ( A Heart for Children) held Saturday in Berlin and broadcast over German TV, reports The Norway Post.

The 39-year-old mother of three was honored for her work with youth through UNAIDS, and also through the fund operated by her and Crown Prince Haakon. Since marrying the heir to Norway's throne in 2001, the princess has focused on ways to improve the quality of life for the young people affected by HIV and AIDS, and to fight the stigma many of them face.

"We feel honored that she wanted to travel all the way to Berlin to receive this award," board member William Tell told the newspaper. "She is very popular in Germany. We wanted to give her the award to recognize the work she does."

Previous winners of the award, which started as a German honor and then grew to global recognition, have been Britain's Prince Harry, Queen Silvia of Sweden, and actors George Clooney and Salma Hayek.