Queen Sonja of Norway

Sonja (born Sonja Haraldsen; 4 July 1937) is the mother of King Haakon VIII of Norway. She was Queen of Norway from 1991 to 2026 as the wife of King Harald V, becoming Norway's first queen consort since Maud of Wales, who died in 1938. Following the death of her husband, Sonja became a queen mother.

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 King Haakon VIII. They were married for almost 58 years, until Harald's death in August 2026.

As queen, Sonja held 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 youngest child of clothing merchant Karl August Haraldsen (1889–1959) and Dagny Ulrichsen (1898–1994). She had three siblings: Haakon Haraldsen (1921–2016), Gry Henriksen (1924–1970), and Karl Herman Haraldsen (1929–1936), who died in a boating accident before she was born. 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. 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. Harald died on 28 August 2026, aged 89.

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

Public life Following the death of King Olav V on 17 January 1991, Sonja became Norway's first queen consort in 52 years.

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.

On 17 January 2021, Sonja celebrated 30 years as Norway's queen consort. After the death of Harald V, Sonja ceased to be queen consort and became a queen mother, being styled simply as Queen Sonja.

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.

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.

Sonja is a longtime 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. The Queen Sonja Nordic Art Award was established in 2011, with Tiina Kivinen from Finland as the first recipient in 2012.

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.

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.

In popular culture 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. Sonja 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.

National orders Grand Cross with Collar of the Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav ° Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit ° The Royal House Centenary Medal ° Haakon VIIs Centenary Medal ° Olav Vs Commemorative Medal of 30. January 1991 ° Olav Vs Jubilee Medal 1957-1982 ° Olav Vs Centenary Medal° Harald Vs Jubilee Medal 1991-2016 ° Royal Family Order of King Olav V of Norway ° Royal Family Order of King Harald V of Norway ° Norwegian Red Cross Badge of Honour ° The Nansen Medal ° Oslo Military Society Badge of Honour in Gold °

Foreign orders Grand Cross of the Order of May ° 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 ° Sash of the Order of the Balkan Mountains ° Grand Cross of the Order of Merit ° Grand Cross of the Grand Order of Queen Jelena (12 May 2011) Knight of the Order of the Elephant (12 February 1973) ° Member 1st Class of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (24 August 1998) ° Member 1st Class of the Order of the White Star (2 September 2014) Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose of Finland ° Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit ° Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (19 October 2001) ° Grand Cordon (Paulownia) 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 (2 September 1998) ° Recipient of the 1st Class of Cross of Recognition (12 March 2015) ° Grand Cross of the Order of Vytautas the Great (3 September 1998) ° 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 ° Recipient of Queen Beatrix's Inauguration Medal ° Knight of the Order of the White Eagle ° Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of Portugal (2 January 1981) ° Grand Cross of the Order of Infante Dom Henrique (13 February 2004) ° Member 1st Class (Grand Gwanghwa Medal) of the Order of Diplomatic Service Merit ° Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III (21 April 1995) ° Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (12 April 1982) ° Knight of the Royal Order of the Seraphim ° Recipient of the 50th Birthday Badge Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf (30 April 1996) Recipient of the Ruby Jubilee Badge Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf (15 September 2013) Recipient of the Golden Jubilee Badge Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf (15 September 2023) Rem : The mark ° shows the honours mentioned on Queen Sonja's official website page