Oslo  - Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, Danish Crown Prince Frederik and Swedish Crown Princess Victoria were slated to visit the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard next month, the Norwegian palace said Friday.

The June 21-27 visit to Svalbard, off northern Norway, was aimed at highlighting the ongoing International Polar Year that ends in March 2009.

"It is fantastic that the three royal heirs together mark the International Polar Year in this manner," said Olav Orheim, head of the Norwegian IPY secretariat.

The three heirs to the thrones of the Scandinavian countries are all patrons of the polar year committees in their respective countries.

The three royals were to spend most of their visit onboard the Swedish research vessel Oden, an ice-breaker, where polar researchers were to brief them on recent findings.

Svalbard is also home to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault where seeds from maize, rice, wheat, beans, sorghum, cowpeas, soybeans and other crops are deposited in three chambers in a vault blasted into solid rock.

Arctic temperatures, permafrost and stable geological conditions were decisive factors in the choice of Svalbard. (dpa)