Queen Sonja of Norway

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sonja
Queen of Norway
Titles HM The Queen
HRH The Crown Princess of Norway
Miss Sonja Haraldsen
Born July 4, 1937 (1937-07-04) (age 70)
Birthplace Flag of NorwayOslo
Consort since 17 January 1991
Consort to Harald V
Issue Märtha Louise (b. 1971)
Haakon (b. 1973)
Father Karl August Haraldsen
Mother Dagny Haraldsen
Norwegian Royal Family
This box: view • talk • edit

Sonja, Queen of Norway (née Sonja Haraldsen, born July 4, 1937 in Oslo) is the queen consort of Norway, wife of King Harald V of Norway. She is styled HM The Queen.

A commoner, the daughter of Karl August Haraldsen and his wife, née Dagny Ulrichsen, she became engaged to then Crown Prince Harald in March 1968. They had been dating for nine years, although this had been kept secret because of opposition to 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 put an end to the rule of his family and most likely monarchy in Norway as he was the sole heir. Olav V consulted the government for advice and the result was that the couple were wed on August 29, 1968, in Oslo. She thus acquired the style Her Royal Highness and the title Crown Princess of Norway.

Following the death of King Olav V on January 17, 1991, Sonja became Norway's first queen consort in 53 years. She and King Harald have two children, Princess Märtha Louise married to Ari Behn and Crown Prince Haakon Magnus married to Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby.

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.

King Harald V and queen Sonja have four grandchildren: HRH Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, HH Prince Sverre Magnus of Norway (born 3 December 2005), Maud Angelica Behn and Leah Isadora Behn. They also have one step-grandchild, the Crown Princess's son, Marius Borg Høiby.

Contents

[edit] The Queen Sonja International Music Competition

The then Crown Princess Sonja established this 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.[1][2]

[edit] 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".[3][4]

[edit] Patronages

  • Red Cross Nordic United World College
  • Norges Husflidslag (The Norwegian Handicraft Association)
  • The Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments
  • Norges museumsforbund (The Norwegian Association of Museums)
  • The Norwegian National Opera
  • Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
  • Oslo Chamber Music Festival
  • The Førde International Folk Music Festival
  • The National Association of Folk Music and Dance
  • The Royal Norwegian Society for Development
  • Det norske hageselskap (The Norwegian Horticulture Society)
  • The Norwegian Institute in Rome
  • The Norwegian Institute in Athens

[5]

[edit] Honours

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.

[6]

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ Royal House web page on the Queen's areas of special interest Retrieved 6 November 2007
  2. ^ Queen Sonja International Music Competition web page Retrieved 6 November 2007
  3. ^ Royal House web page on the Queen's areas of special interest Retrieved 6 November 2007
  4. ^ Article from the Norwegian Directorate of Education on Queen Sonja’s School Award (Norwegian) Retrieved 6 November 2007
  5. ^ Royal House web page on the Queen's patronages Retrieved 6 November 2007
  6. ^ Royal House web page on Queen Sonja's decorations (Norwegian) Retrieved 5 November 2007
Styles of
Queen Sonja of Norway
Reference style Her Majesty
Spoken style Your Majesty
Alternative style Ma'am
Preceded by
Queen Maud of Norway
1905-1938		 Queen Consort of Norway
1991-present		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by
Andrus Veerpalu		 Holmenkollen medal with Simon Ammann, Frode Estil, King Harald V, and Odd-Bjørn Hjelmeset
2007		 Succeeded by
Incumbent