Crown Prince Haakon of Norway captured the hearts and minds of young people from all over the world at the One Young World Summit in Zurich, Switzerland last Thursday.
Earlier in the day, Haakon had visited schools in the city, but everyone was waiting for him to say something about the recent tragedy in his own country, in which 69 people at a political camp were killed by a lone gunman. Most of them were youngsters.
'One month, 10 days and three hours ago, a bomb exploded in Oslo right outside the government buildings, blowing out windows miles around,' he said at the summit's opening night.
'Two hours later, shooting started at an island north of Oslo where youth were gathered, like here, to discuss the issues they see as the most pressing of our time. [A total of] 77 people were killed, and even more injured by the terrorist acts. As Norway is slowly returning to normality, we are struggling to make sense of the atrocities.'
'The most important lesson to learn is about ourselves,' Haakon (right) told the packed hall at the Kongresshaus. 'We cannot undo what has been done, but we can choose what way it will affect us. We can choose to defy brutality with friendship. We can choose to stand by our values. Our challenge is to reach for the light, to reach for the inner best part of us and nurture it.
'The philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah says: 'It is crucial to remember always that we are not simply black or white or yellow or brown ... Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist or Confucian, but we are also brothers and sisters; parents and children; liberals, conservatives and leftists; teachers and lawyers and automakers and gardeners ...'