BASIC INSTINCT - STONE RILES NORWEGIANS WITH ROYAL BLUNDER

STONE RILES NORWEGIANS WITH ROYAL BLUNDER

BASIC INSTINCT star SHARON STONE has angered the people of Norway after breaking with royal protocol and upstaging the country's King and Queen at a banquet. Stone may have wanted to make a grand entrance at Sunday's (10DEC06) dinner honouring the Nobel Peace Prize winners in Oslo, but ended up making a royal faux pas by arriving late. Royal protocol in Europe dictates that when a King and Queen attend an event, everyone is required to be in their seats when the royal couple make their entrance, making them the last to arrive. Stone offended the Norwegian royal couple by waltzing into the room 10 minutes after the couple, which has been interpreted by Norwegians as the actress declaring herself more important than the King. This year's event was especially significant because it marked the first time that Norway's KING HARALD V and QUEEN SONJA were invited to the annual Nobel Banquet at Oslo's Grand Hotel. Stone's late arrival offended several guests, with former palace official CARL-ERIK GRIMSTAD calling it a "violation" of international custom. He tells Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten, "When the king is invited to such an event, guests need to have a very good reason for arriving after he does. "I'm sure that if she didn't have a good reason, she'll be sorry about it."