Queen Sonja of Norway

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

Sonja Haraldsen was born on 4 July 1937 in Oslo, the daughter of clothing merchant Karl August Haraldsen and Dagny Ulrichsen.

She had three siblings, Haakon Haraldsen, Gry Henriksen and Karl Herman Haraldsen, who died in a boating accident.

During Haakon VII of Norway's reign, his wife Queen Maud died in 1938 and his son Olav V was then crown prince when his wife Princess Märtha of Sweden died in 1954 before he became king three years later.

It was also the first time in 69 years that a Norwegian queen had been present in the Storting.

Since his accession, Queen 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.

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.

In June 1959 she first met Crown Prince Harald (the future King Harald V) at a party hosted by Johan H. Stenersen.

Later in August the Crown Prince invited her to his graduation ball, where they were photographed together for the first time.

They dated for nine years, although their relationship had been kept secret because she was a commoner.

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.

Sonja and the then Crown Prince Harald had dated for nine years prior to their marriage in 1968.

They had kept their relationship a secret due to the controversy of Sonja's status as a commoner.

Harald had told his father, King Olav V, that he would remain unmarried if his father did not grant consent to marry Sonja.

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; as a result, Sonja became engaged to Crown Prince Harald on 19 March 1968.

The couple married on 29 August 1968, at Oslo Cathedral.

She thus acquired the style of Royal Highness and the title of Crown Princess of Norway.

Sonja has also served as Vice President of the Norwegian Red Cross from 1987 to 1990.

Upon their marriage, Sonja became crown princess and later the queen of Norway upon her husband's accession to the throne in 1991, becoming Norway's first queen consort in 52 years.

The couple has two children together: Princess Märtha Louise and Crown Prince Haakon.

As queen, Sonja holds patronage of up to fifteen organisations.

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

Queen Sonja accompanied King Harald V when he swore his oath to uphold the Constitution in the Storting on 21 January 1991.

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.

In 2005, she became the first queen to visit Antarctica.

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.

In 2017, she was awarded the Trysil-Knut Prize, making her the first woman to receive the award.

She is also 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.

Upon her marriage she assumed the style Royal Highness with the title of Crown Princess of Norway.

When her husband ascended to the throne as King, she became Queen of Norway with the style Majesty.