Queen Sonja of Norway

Sonja
Photograph of Sonja at the age of 88
Sonja in 2025
Queen consort of Norway
Tenure17 January 1991 – present
Benediction23 June 1991[a]
BornSonja Haraldsen
(1937-07-04) 4 July 1937
Oslo, Norway
Spouse
​
(m. 1968)​
Issue
HouseGlücksburg (by marriage)[2]
FatherKarl August Haraldsen
MotherDagny Ulrichsen
ReligionChurch of Norway
Education

Sonja (born Sonja Haraldsen; 4 July 1937) is Queen of Norway as the wife of King Harald V. She is Norway's first queen consort since Queen Maud, the wife of King Haakon VII, who died in 1938.

Sonja and the then Crown Prince Harald had dated for nine years before their marriage in 1968. They kept their relationship secret because of the controversy surrounding Sonja's status as a commoner. Harald told his father, King Olav V, that he would remain unmarried if he did not receive consent to marry her. Upon their marriage, Sonja became crown princess and later Queen of Norway upon her husband's accession to the throne in 1991, becoming Norway's first queen consort in 52 years. The couple have two children together: Princess Märtha Louise and Crown Prince Haakon.

As queen, Sonja holds patronage of up to 15 organisations. She served as Vice President of the Norwegian Red Cross from 1987 to 1990. In 2005, she became the first queen to visit Antarctica. In 2017, she received the Trysil-Knut Prize, becoming the first woman to receive the award. She is known for her interest in music, art, and culture, having founded the Queen Sonja International Music Competition and the Queen Sonja Print Award. She is also a graphic artist and ceramicist, with many of her works being featured in exhibitions across Norway and other countries.

Early life

Sonja Haraldsen was born on 4 July 1937 in Oslo, Norway, the daughter of clothing merchant Karl August Haraldsen and Dagny Ulrichsen.[3] She had three siblings: Haakon Haraldsen,[4] Gry Henriksen, and Karl Herman Haraldsen, who died in a boating accident before she was born.[5] Haraldsen grew up at Tuengen Allé 1B in the district of Vinderen in Oslo and completed her lower secondary schooling in 1954. She received a diploma in dressmaking and tailoring at the Oslo Vocational School, and a diploma from École Professionnelle des Jeunes Filles, a finishing school in Lausanne, Switzerland, where she studied accounting, fashion design, and social science. She returned to Norway for further studies and received an undergraduate degree in French, English and Art History from the University of Oslo.[3]

Personal life

Sonja and Harald during their wedding ceremony

In June 1959, Haraldsen first met Crown Prince Harald (the future King Harald V) at a party hosted by Johan H. Stenersen. Later that August, Harald invited her to his graduation ball, where they were photographed together for the first time. They dated for nine years, although their relationship was kept secret because she was a commoner.[3] Harald made it clear to his father, King Olav V, that he would remain unmarried for life unless he could marry her.[6] This would in effect have put an end to the rule of his family, and likely to the monarchy in Norway, as Harald was the sole heir to the throne. Faced with having to choose one of his relatives from the Danish royal family, the Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein, or even the Grand Dukes of Oldenburg as his new heir in place of his son, Olav consulted the government for advice; as a result, Haraldsen became engaged to Harald on 19 March 1968. The couple married later that year, on 29 August at Oslo Cathedral. She thus acquired the style of Royal Highness and the title of Crown Princess of Norway.[3] They have two children, Märtha Louise (born 1971) and Haakon (born 1973).[7]

Health

In January 2025, Sonja was admitted to Lillehammer Hospital for observation following atrial fibrillation while on a skiing trip.[8] She underwent surgery at the Oslo University Hospital on 16 January to receive a pacemaker implant.[9] In April 2025, she was hospitalised at the National Hospital due to shortness of breath.[10] In May 2026, she was hospitalised due to atrial fibrillation and heart failure.[11] The following day, her husband said in an interview that she was in better form and leaving the hospital.[12]

Public life

Following the death of King Olav V on 17 January 1991, Sonja became Norway's first queen consort in 52 years.[3] Queen Sonja accompanied King Harald V when he swore his oath to uphold the Constitution in the Storting on 21 January 1991. During Haakon VII's reign, his wife Queen Maud died in 1938, and his son Olav was then crown prince when his wife Princess Märtha of Sweden died in 1954, three years before he became king. It was also the first time in 69 years that a Norwegian queen had been present in the Storting. Since his accession, Sonja has accompanied the King to the formal opening of the autumn session of the Storting and the reading of the Speech from the Throne.[3]

In accordance with their own wishes, Sonja and Harald were consecrated in Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim on 23 June 1991.[3] Following the consecration, they conducted a 10-day tour of Southern Norway. In 1992, the entire royal family conducted a 22-day tour of Norway's four northernmost counties.[3]

Sonja in Stockholm for Prince Carl Philip's wedding, 2015

Sonja accompanies Harald on official state visits abroad. She acts as the hostess when foreign heads of state officially visit Norway.[3]

In 2005, Sonja became the first queen to visit Antarctica.[3] She was there to open the Norwegian Troll research station in the country's Antarctic dependency, Queen Maud Land. Sonja flew in on one of the Royal Norwegian Air Force's C-130H Hercules transport aircraft, landing at Troll Airfield.[3]

In 2017, Sonja was awarded the Trysil-Knut Prize. She is the first woman to receive the award.[13]

The Queen was appointed a Rear Admiral in the Royal Norwegian Navy and a Brigadier in the Norwegian Army. She has undergone a basic officer training course and has participated in exercises.[14][15]

On 17 January 2021, Sonja celebrated 30 years as Norway's queen consort.[16]

Activities

In 1972, Sonja was involved in establishing Princess Märtha Louise's Fund, which provides assistance to disabled children in Norway. She has taken active part in large-scale initiatives to raise funds for international refugees and spent time in the 1970s visiting Vietnamese boat refugees in Malaysia.[3]

From 1987 to 1990, Sonja served as Vice President of the Norwegian Red Cross. She was responsible for the organisation's international activities and took part in a Red Cross delegation to Botswana and Zimbabwe in 1989.[3]

Queen Sonja's School Award was established in 2006 and is awarded to schools who have "demonstrated excellence in its efforts to promote inclusion and equality".[3][17]

Personal interests

Sonja established the Queen Sonja International Music Competition in 1988. It was originally for pianists, but in 1995 the competition became only for singers. The jury consists of diverse authoritative figures in opera, and the winners receive a cash award and engagements at Norwegian music institutions.[18][19]

She is a longtime photographer and has a keen interest in art.[20] She is a printmaker and held exhibitions with artists Kjell Nupen and Ørnulf Opdahl in 2011 and 2013.[21] The Queen Sonja Nordic Art Award was established in 2011, with Tiina Kivinen from Finland as the first recipient in 2012.[22]

In 2017, The Queen Sonja Art Stable was opened as a venue for arts and culture. Together with Harald, Sonja has for decades attempted to establish a palace museum in Oslo.[23][24]

Sonja is a keen hiker, and this was marked by a sculpture unveiled for her 80th birthday as a gift from the Norwegian Trekking Association.[25]

In 2025, Amazon Prime Video released the period drama The Commoner, which tells the story of the fight of then Crown Prince Harald and Sonja Haraldsen for their right to marry. Queen Sonja of Norway is portrayed by Gina Bernhoft Gørvell.

Arms

Honours

In 1982, she was awarded the Nansen Refugee Award. In 2007, Sonja received the Holmenkollen medal with Simon Ammann, Frode Estil, Odd-Bjørn Hjelmeset, and her husband, Harald.

Sonja received an Honorary Doctorate from Heriot-Watt University in 1994.[26]

National orders

Foreign orders

Rem : The mark ° shows the honours mentioned on Queen Sonja's official website page

Notes

  1. ↑ Coronation discarded by constitutional amendment in 1908. Harald V swore the Royal Oath in the Storting on 21 January 1991 and received the benediction in the Nidaros Cathedral on 23 June 1991.[1]

References

  1. ↑ "Kong Harald tiltrer Regjeringen" [King Harald joins the government]. Aftenposten (in Norwegian). 9 April 2003. Archived from the original on 19 January 2005. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  2. ↑ "The Royal Family". royalcourt.no. Norwegian Royal Court.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "The Official Website of the Royal House of Norway: Her Majesty Queen Sonja". Archived from the original on 14 July 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2009.
  4. ↑ "Dronning Sonjas bror er død". aftenposten.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). 12 October 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
  5. ↑ Dimmen, Sofie Dege (29 August 2018). "Dronning Sonja: Min døde bror ble aldri funnet". NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 24 April 2025.
  6. ↑ Aquino, Gabriel (15 August 2018). "Before they were royal: The life of Queen Sonja of Norway". Royal Central. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  7. ↑ Kershaw, Emma (15 June 2026). "Meet Norway's Royal Family: All About the 1,000-Year-Old Monarchy". People. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
  8. ↑ "Dronning Sonja innlagt på Lillehammer sjukehus". NRK. 11 January 2025. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
  9. ↑ "Norway queen leaves hospital after pacemaker surgery: palace". France 24. 17 January 2025. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  10. ↑ "Norway's Queen Sonja, 87, hospitalised for shortness of breath". Reuters. 21 April 2025. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
  11. ↑ Mjaaland, Ola (27 May 2026). "Dronning Sonja innlagt på Rikshospitalet". NRK (in Norwegian Nynorsk). Retrieved 29 May 2026.
  12. ↑ Helljesen, Vilde (28 May 2026). "Kong Harald om kronprinsessen: – Hun har ikke gjort noe ulovlig". NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 29 May 2026.
  13. ↑ Dronning Sonja får Trysil-Knut prisen Archived 1 November 2019 at the Wayback Machine (in Norwegian) [h-a.no], retrieved 17 May 2018
  14. ↑ "Video from NRK of Sonja participating in a winter exercise". Archived from the original on 9 September 2009. Retrieved 24 August 2008.
  15. ↑ Article from the Norwegian defence on Royals in the military Archived 14 January 2006 at the Wayback Machine (Norwegian)
  16. ↑ "King and Queen for 30 years". Archived from the original on 1 July 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  17. ↑ Article from the Norwegian Directorate of Education on Queen Sonja’s School Award[link removed] (in Norwegian) Retrieved 6 November 2007
  18. ↑ Royal House web page on the Queen's areas of special interest Archived 10 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 6 November 2007
  19. ↑ Queen Sonja International Music Competition web page Archived 20 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2 September 2009
  20. ↑ Jan Thomas Holmlund (27 October 2011): Her er dronning Sonjas egne kunstverk (in Norwegian) Verdens Gang, retrieved 6 July 2013
  21. ↑ Lars Elton (6 July 2013): De tre musketêrer (in Norwegian) Verdens Gang, retrieved 6 July 2013
  22. ↑ H.M. Dronning Sonjas kunstnerstipend (in Norwegian) Kongehuset.no, retrieved 6 July 2013
  23. ↑ Totl, Kjell Arne (19 July 2015). "Kongehusekspert Kjell Arne Totland skriver: Gi kongeparet et permanent slottsmuseum". Aftenposten (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  24. ↑ Moxnes, Agnes (27 December 2018). "På tide med et slottsmuseum". NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  25. ↑ "The statues in the Palace Park". Royal House of Norway. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  26. ↑ "Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh: Honorary Graduates". www1.hw.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 18 April 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  27. ↑ "Reply to a parliamentary question about the Decoration of Honour" (PDF) (in German). p. 518. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
  28. ↑ Belga Pictures, State visit of Norway in Belgium, May 2003, Group photo Archived 25 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Harald V & Paola Archived 25 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Albert II & Sonja Deprecated link archived 13 July 2012 at archive.today
  29. ↑ "Odluka o odlikovanja Njezinog Veličanstva kraljice Sonje od Norveške Veleredom kraljice Jelene s lentom i Danicom". narodne-novine.nn.hr. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
  30. ↑ "Modtagere af danske dekorationer". Kongehuset (in Danish). 12 December 2017. Archived from the original on 12 May 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  31. ↑ "Vabariigi President". president.ee. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  32. ↑ "Vabariigi President". president.ee. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  33. 1 2 3 "H.M. Dronningens dekorasjoner" (in Norwegian). Det norske kongehus. 15 September 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  34. ↑ Iceland Archived 3 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  35. ↑ "Le onorificenze della Repubblica Italiana". quirinale.it. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  36. ↑ "Par apbalvošanu ar Triju Zvaigžņu ordeni - Latvijas Vēstnesis". vestnesis.lv (in Latvian). Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  37. ↑ "Par Atzinības krusta piešķiršanu - Latvijas Vēstnesis". vestnesis.lv (in Latvian). Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  38. ↑ Lithuanian Presidency Archived 19 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Lithuanian Orders searching form
  39. 1 2 3 Portuguese presidential website, Orders search form
  40. ↑ "Odlikovanci". Predsednica Republike Slovenije (in Slovenian). Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  41. ↑ Boletín Oficial del Estado
  42. ↑ Boletín Oficial del Estado
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