Queen Sonja of Norway

Sonja Queen Sonja in Stavanger 2007 Queen consort of Norway Tenure 17 January 1991 – present Consecration 23 June 1991 Born (1937-07-04) 4 July 1937 Oslo, Norway Spouse Harald V of Norway (m. 1968) Issue Princess Märtha Louise Crown Prince Haakon Father Karl August Haraldsen Mother Dagny Haraldsen Religion Church of Norway

Queen Sonja of Norway (born Sonja Haraldsen on 4 July 1937) is the wife of King Harald V.

Prior to marriage

Sonja was born in Oslo on 4 July 1937, the daughter of clothing merchant Karl August Haraldsen (1889–1959) and Dagny Ulrichsen (1898–1994).

She 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. There, she studied accounting, fashion design, and social science. She returned to Norway for further studies and received an undergraduate degree (French, English and Art History) from the University of Oslo.

As crown princess

Sonja became engaged to then Crown Prince Harald in March 1968. They had been dating for nine years, although their relationship had been kept secret because of her non-royal status. The Crown Prince made it clear to his father, King Olav V, that he would remain unmarried for life unless he could marry her. 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 V consulted the government for advice and, as a result, the couple was wed on 29 August 1968, at Oslo Domkirke in Oslo. She thus acquired the style of Royal Highness and the title of Crown Princess of Norway.

Immediately after the wedding, the new Crown Princess began to carry out her royal duties, traveling extensively in Norway and abroad. In 1972 she 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.

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

The Queen Sonja International Music Competition

The then-Crown Princess 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 amount and prestigious engagements at Norwegian music institutions.

As queen

Royal Monogram

Styles of Queen Sonja of Norway as consort
Spoken style	Your Majesty
Alternative style	Ma'am

Following the death of King Olav V on 17 January 1991, Sonja became Norway's first queen consort in 53 years. Queen Sonja accompanied King Harald V when he swore his oath to uphold the Constitution in the Storting on 21 January 1991. It was the first time in 69 years that a Norwegian queen had been present in the Storting. Queen Sonja has accompanied the King to the formal opening of the fall session of the Storting and the reading of the Speech from the Throne since his accession.

In accordance with their own wishes, the King and Queen were consecrated in Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim on 23 June 1991. Following the consecration, the King and Queen 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.

The Queen accompanies the King on official state visits abroad. She acts as the hostess when foreign heads of state officially visit Norway. The Queen has also given lectures on Norway as a tourist destination on several occasions during official state visits abroad.

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

The Queen is 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.

Queen Sonja’s School Award

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".

Art

The Queen is a longtime avid photographer and has a keen interest in art. She is a printmaker, and held exhibitions with artists Kjell Nupen and Ørnulf Opdahl in 2011 and 2013.

Queen Sonja Nordic Art Award was established in 2011 with Tiina Kivinen from Finland being the first recipient in 2012. The prize will be awarded every other year.

Issue

• Her Highness Princess Märtha Louise, born on 22 September 1971. She married Ari Behn, born on 30 September 1972, on 24 May 2002. They have 3 daughters:
  • Maud Angelica Behn, born 29 April 2003
  • Leah Isadora Behn, born 8 April 2005
  • Emma Tallulah Behn, born 29 September 2008

• His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon Magnus, born on 20 July 1973. He married Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby, born 19 August 1973, on 25 August 2001. She has a son from a previous relationship, Marius Borg Høiby, 13 January 1997. They have 2 children:
  • Her Royal Highness Princess Ingrid Alexandra, born 21 January 2004, Hereditary Princess of Norway
  • His Highness Prince Sverre Magnus, born 3 December 2005

Patronages

• Red Cross Nordic United World College
• Norwegian Folk Art and Craft Association
• Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments
• Norwegian Association of Museums
• Norwegian National Opera
• Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
• Oslo Chamber Music Festival
• Førde International Folk Music Festival
• National Association of Folk Music and Dance
• Royal Norwegian Society for Development
• Norwegian Horticulture Society
• Norwegian Institute in Rome
• Norwegian Institute at Athens

Honours

See also List of honours of the Norwegian Royal Family by country

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

Foreign Orders

• Grand Star of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria (1978) °
• Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold °
• Grand Cross of the Order of the Southern Cross °
• Cordon of the Order of Stara Planina °
• Croatia - Grand Order of Queen Jelena °
• Knight of the Order of the Elephant °
• 1st Class of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana °
• Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose of Finland °
• Grand Cross of the Ordre national du Mérite °
• Grand Cross 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany °
• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Redeemer °
• Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary °
• The Golden Olympic order (IOC) °
• Grand Cross of the Order of the Falcon (21/10/1981) °
• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic °
• Grand Cordon of the Order of the Precious Crown °
• Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Renaissance ° (Order of Al-Nahda)
• Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Three Stars °
• Grand Cross of the Order of Vytautas the Great °
• Grand Cross of the Order of Adolph of Nassau °
• Knight of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau °
• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion °
• Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown °
• Medal to commemorate the enthronement of Queen Beatrix °
• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the White Eagle °
• Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of Portugal (02/01/1981) °
• Grand Cross of the Order of Infante Dom Henrique (13/02/2004) °
• Grand Cross of the Order of Christ ° (26/05/2008)
• Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III (21/04/1995) °
• Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (12/04/1982) °
• Member of the Royal Order of the Seraphim °
• King Carl XVI Gustaf's 50th Anniversary Medal (30/04/1996) °

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

References

• 2007 Holmenkollen medalists announced - Accessed 18 March 2007. (Norwegian)
• Holmenkollen medal presented to Estil and Hjelmeset - Accessed 21 March 2007

External links

• Royal House web page on the Queen

Norwegian royalty
Vacant Title last held by Maud of Wales	Queen consort of Norway 1991 – present	Incumbent