Queen Sonia's birthday
Description:
The son of King Olaf V of Norway, Harald, married Sonja Haraldsen on August 29, 1968. As heir to the throne, he hid from his father for nine years a connection with a commoner, an ordinary employee, until the king gave permission for the wedding.
Sonya became a beautiful queen. The royal couple have two children: daughter Princess Martha Louise (born September 22, 1971) and heir son Crown Prince Håkan Magnus (born July 20, 1973).
Queen Sonja was born on July 4, 1937 in the family of a wealthy merchant Haraldsen. She grew up in Oslo, graduated from a regular gymnasium, then studied as a fashion designer at one of the professional schools of the capital and at the school of crafts and arts in Lausanne. As a princess, Sonia graduated from the University of Oslo, where she studied cultural history, French and English.
Sonia Haraldsen and the heir to the Norwegian throne, Crown Prince Harald, had known each other for nearly a decade before getting their engagement. Their marriage took place on August 29, 1968. Norwegians say that by becoming crown princess, Sonya won the heart of the prince, and by becoming queen, she won the heart of Norway.
Queen Sonja carries out extensive representational and social activities: with great success she patronizes a number of organizations, including the Norwegian Red Cross Children’s Aid Department, the Norwegian Children’s and Youth Union, and the Norwegian Artisans’ Union. The Queen is an honorary member of the Norwegian Academy of Sciences, the Philharmonic Society, and was vice president of the Norwegian Red Cross, patronizing the annual international music festival bearing her name. She is widely known for her work in helping refugees through the UN, for which Sonia was awarded the Nansen Memorial Medal.
As a member of the royal family, she underwent military training and was awarded the rank of Colonel of the Army, Air Force and Captain of the First Rank.
Sonya has two children, Princess Martha Louise (born 22 September 1971) and Crown Prince Hakon Magnus (born 20 July 1973). On August 25, 2001, the Crown Prince married his single mother, Mette-Marit Thiessem-Höibü. They currently live in London and study in higher education. Princess Martha Louise married writer Ari Ben on May 24, 2002.
The Queen is fond of skiing and sailing, fishing.