Queen Sonja of Norway

Sonja, Queen of Norway (née Sonja Haraldsen, born 4 July 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 29 August 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 17 January 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.

Issue

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 five grandchildren: HRH Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, HH Prince Sverre Magnus of Norway, Maud Angelica Behn , Leah Isadora Behn and Emma Tallulah Behn. They also have one step-grandchild, the Crown Princess's son, Marius Borg Høiby.

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 tranining course and has participated in exercises. [ [http://www1.nrk.no/nett-tv/klipp/247969 Video from NRK of Sonja participating in a winter exercise] ] [ [http://www.mil.no/start/article.jhtml?articleID=65424 Article from the Norwegian defence on Royals in the military] (Norwegian)]

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. [ [http://www.kongehuset.no/c29278/artikkel/vis.html?tid=29280 Royal House web page on the Queen's areas of special interest] Retrieved 6 November 2007] [ [http://www.queen-sonja-competition.no/pages/side_engelsk.asp?nr=24 Queen Sonja International Music Competition web page] Retrieved 6 November 2007]

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". [ [http://www.kongehuset.no/c29278/artikkel/vis.html?tid=29280 Royal House web page on the Queen's areas of special interest] Retrieved 6 November 2007] [ [http://www.udir.no/templates/udir/TM_Tema.aspx?id=2998 Article from the Norwegian Directorate of Education on Queen Sonja’s School Award] no icon Retrieved 6 November 2007 ]

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 [ [http://www.kongehuset.no/c27285/artikkel/vis.html?tid=28742 Royal House web page on the Queen's patronages] Retrieved 6 November 2007]

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.
*flag|Norway Grand Cross with Collar of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav
*flag|Norway Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit
*flag|Norway The Royal House Centenary Medal
*flag|Norway Haakon VIIs Centenary Medal
*flag|Norway Olav Vs Commemorative Medal of 30. January 1991
*flag|Norway Olav Vs Jubilee Medal 1957-1982
*flag|Norway Olav Vs Centenary Medal
*flag|Norway Royal Family Order of King Olav V of Norway
*flag|Norway Royal Family Order of King Harald V of Norway
*flag|Norway Norwegian Red Cross Badge of Honour
*flag|Norway The Nansen Medal
*flag|Norway Oslo Military Society Badge of Honour in Gold
*flag|Austria Grand Cross of the Decoration of Honour for Merit
*flag|Belgium Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold
*flag|Brazil Grand Cross of the Order of the Southern Cross
*flag|Bulgaria Grand Cross of the Order Of The Balkan Mountains
*flag|Denmark Knight of the Elephant
*flag|Estonia Grand Cross of the Cross of Terra Mariana
*flag|Finland Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose
*flag|France Grand Cross of the Ordre national du Mérite
*flag|Germany Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
*flag|Greece Grand Cross of the Order of the Saviour
*flag|Hungary Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Hungarian Republic
* (IOC)
*flag|Iceland Grand cross of the Order of the Falcon
*flag|Italy Grand Cross of the Italian Order of Merit
*flag|Japan Grand Cross of the Order of the Precious Crown
*flag|Jordan Grand Cross of the Order of Al-Nahda (Order of the Renaissance)
*flag|Latvia Grand Cross of the Order of the Three Stars
*flag|Lithuania Grand Cross of the Order of Vytautas the Great
*flag|Luxembourg Grand Cross of the Order of Adolph of Nassau
*flag|Luxembourg Grand Cross of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau
*flag|Netherlands Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion
*flag|Netherlands Grand Cross of the House Order of the Crown
*flag|Netherlands Medal to commemorate the enthronement of Queen Beatrix
*flag|Poland Grand Cross of the Order of the White Eagle
*flag|Portugal Grand Cross of the Order of Christ
*flag|Portugal Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Infante Dom Henrique
*flag|Portugal Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of Portugal
*flag|Spain Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III
*flag|Spain Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic
*flag|Sweden Knight of the Order of the Seraphim
*flag|Sweden King Carl XVI Gustaf's 50th Anniversary Medal [ [http://www.kongehuset.no/c27020/artikkel/vis.html?tid=27415 Royal House web page on Queen Sonja's decorations] no icon Retrieved 5 November 2007]

External links

* [http://pages.prodigy.net/ptheroff/gotha/norway.html Royal House of Norway]
* [http://www.kongehuset.no/c27272/seksjonstekst_person/vis.html?tid=28737 Royal House web page on the Queen]

References

* [http://www.holmenkollen-worldcup.no/index.aspx?article=92639&mid=92639 2007 Holmenkollen medalists announced] - Accessed 18 March 2007. no icon
* [http://pub.tv2.no/nettavisen/sport/vinter/article937464.ece Holmenkollen medal presented to Estil and Hjelmeset] - Accessed 21 March 2007 no icon

Infobox consortstyles
royal name=Queen Sonja of Norway


dipstyle=Her Majesty
offstyle=Your Majesty
altstyle=Ma'am|