Queen Sonja's family


If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

LaMinka

Royal Highness
Joined
Jul 11, 2005
Messages
1,861
City
Bergen
Country
Norway
HER MOTHER:
Dagny Ulrichsen was born on 25 may 1898 in Skien. She was daugther of Johan Christian Ulrichsen and Marie Bertine Hansen. Dagny Ulrichsen marry Karl August Haraldsen in 1920 on Skien. Dagny Ulrichsen die on october 15, 1994 in Oslo, she was 96year.

HER FATHER:
Karl August Haraldsen was born in 1889.He marry Dagny Ulrichsen, the daugther of Johan Christian Ulrichsen and Marie Bertine Hansen, in 1920 on Skien.Karl August Haraldsen died in 1959.

HER SIBLINGS:
Haakon Haraldsen:
Haakon Haraldsen was born in 1921. He was son of Karl August Haraldsen and Dagny Ulrichsen. His wifes name i think is Lisbeth. His son are Karl Otto Haraldsen. And his grandaugther is Pia Haraldsen and his grandsons is Carl William and Haakon Haraldsen.

Gry Haraldsen:
Gry Haraldsen was born in 1924. She was daugther of Karl August Haraldsen and Dagny Ulrichsen. She has a son named Dag. It has been told that she tok her one life, that she is not frinds with Sonja and she die in the 70.. Have anyone more info? I wod love to hear more about Gry!

Karl Herman Haraldsen:
Karl Herman Haraldsen was born in 1929. He was son of son of Karl August Haraldsen og Dagny Ulrichsen. Karl Herman Haraldsen died in 1936 on the Oslofjord.
 
Sonjas mother and King Olav in Sonja and Haralds wedding:

She is next to Harald:
 
More pictures of Dagny in Harald and Sonjas wedding:
 
a article about Haakon Haraldsen (jr.)
Haakon Haraldsen vant i Svelvik
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica][/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]Snarøyas lovende junior hadde med seg sin fortsatt mer kjente trener Christian Ruud til å bakke seg opp i single og kjempe ned motstanderne i double.

Haraldsen kjempet seg greit frem til finale hvor han også fikk tøffest motstand i form av Morten Sivertsen fra Jar. 6/2 6/4 ble finaleresultatet og seier i RT-7 turneringen til Haraldsen.

Tilsammen 26 spillere var påmeldt i singleklassen hvor Odd Erik Helgesen fra Tønsberg var toppseedet. Helgesen røk ut i semifinalen mott Haraldsen med 6/3 6/1.

I double gjorde Haraldsen entré med Christian Ruud. En populær attraksjon i Svelvik denne helgen som også gjorde at Drammens Tidende dekket doublefinalen med en helsiden. Uvanlig god pressedekning av en norsk doublefinale. (Artikkelen er det også referert til tidligere her på tennisen.no)

Sammen spilte Snarøya-paret to kamper. I Semifinalen tapte Sivertsen og Alexander Engh 6/2 6/1 mot regjerende Norgesmestere i double. Bård Bakken og Odd Erik Helgesen klarte ikke å gi noe bedre motstand i finalen og tapte 6/1 6/0.

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I've asked this before on other forums, but either noone knows or noone's interested:)

I've always tried to get a sense of Queen Sonja's background, but with very little success. I know that Norway has a small population and that Sonja grew up when the country was recovering from the war, but I also know that there is a band of old families and families that were titled until Norway did away with titles in the first decade of the 20th century. So there must have been something like a polite society. Would the Haraldsen's have been part of this?

I know that they owned some sort of clothing store, that Harald and Sonja met at a party held by the very rich Johan Sternerson, that Sonja's brother built the apartment building near the palace that her mother lived in, and that the NRF used to holiday at a ski home inherited from Sonja's family. Sonja grew up in Vinderen, which I've heard described as a rather quiet section of Oslo, though I don't know if it's a particularly fashionable or affluent area. There are some things that would indicate her background is quite cushy, and others that indicate it isn't particularly top-drawer. It's been reported that she worked in a pub in England while perfecting her English in her student days; and then the Ecole Professionelle des Jeunes Filles she attended in Lausanne doesn't exactly sound like a finishing school.

My sense is that she comes from a comfortably middle class background, and that it would have been possible for Harald to have taken a Norwegian bride from a more distinguished one. I wonder, for instance, if he would have had an easier time getting permission to marry a Wedel Jarlsberg? (None of this is to say that I think he SHOULD have taken a more upper class girl).

If anyone knows anything more about the Haraldsens, I would very much appreciate having it passed along. It's always been extremely difficult to learn more about them. Ditto the Ferner and Lorenzen families. It's easy to discover that the Hoiby and Behn families, on the other hand, are definitely pretty ordinary, run-of-the-mill working folk.
 
Brian_Ahern said:
I've asked this before on other forums, but either noone knows or noone's interested:)
I'll try to answer it as best I can. I'm currently writing Sonja's profile for August, for our 1905-2005 project. (It's a bit late due to computer trouble...)

I've always tried to get a sense of Queen Sonja's background, but with very little success. I know that Norway has a small population and that Sonja grew up when the country was recovering from the war, but I also know that there is a band of old families and families that were titled until Norway did away with titles in the first decade of the 20th century. So there must have been something like a polite society. Would the Haraldsen's have been part of this?
No, they wouldn't. In the book Sonja, Norges Kronprinsesse, if you can get to that, there is a brief retelling of Sonja's family history. I also know that around the wedding someone did a family chart. Sonja's apparently related to the first Norwegian king, Harald Fairhair, but so are many other people as well.

The titles disappeared in the earlier than that. (I don't recall the exact year now, and am on a public computer..., I'll try to find out for later.)

I know that they owned some sort of clothing store, that Harald and Sonja met at a party held by the very rich Johan Sternerson, that Sonja's brother built the apartment building near the palace that her mother lived in, and that the NRF used to holiday at a ski home inherited from Sonja's family. Sonja grew up in Vinderen, which I've heard described as a rather quiet section of Oslo, though I don't know if it's a particularly fashionable or affluent area. There are some things that would indicate her background is quite cushy, and others that indicate it isn't particularly top-drawer. It's been reported that she worked in a pub in England while perfecting her English in her student days; and then the Ecole Professionelle des Jeunes Filles she attended in Lausanne doesn't exactly sound like a finishing school.
The school she attended in Switzerland was a school to get a degree in clothing design/sewing. No finishing school.

Most Norwegian families, especially in the middle areas of income and above, own a cabin in the mountains. These cabins often sounds more fantastic than they truly are. Ski home would probably be exaggerating it. Sonja's background is what most other people, other than Norwegians who claim that there are no classes, would call middle class/upper middle class, seeing as they owned a store... No more, no less.

My sense is that she comes from a comfortably middle class background, and that it would have been possible for Harald to have taken a Norwegian bride from a more distinguished one. I wonder, for instance, if he would have had an easier time getting permission to marry a Wedel Jarlsberg? (None of this is to say that I think he SHOULD have taken a more upper class girl).

If anyone knows anything more about the Haraldsens, I would very much appreciate having it passed along. It's always been extremely difficult to learn more about them. Ditto the Ferner and Lorenzen families. It's easy to discover that the Hoiby and Behn families, on the other hand, are definitely pretty ordinary, run-of-the-mill working folk.

The only thing more acceptable at the time, would have been for him to marry someone else with royal blood, I think. It was what everybody expected.

I'd say the reason for your trouble in finding more about the Haraldsens/Ferners/Lorentzens is that it's all pretty far in the past, and the families knew how to keep their mouths shut. (Unlike others... *cough*Sven*cough*...) There might be more, but go 50-60 years into the past, and it is more difficult to find.
 
Why you do not put a biography with photos of Sonja Haraldsen. He would be interesting to know but things of its biography
 
nat127 said:
Why you do not put a biography with photos of Sonja Haraldsen. He would be interesting to know but things of its biography

It's in progress, though due to computer problems... a bit late. ;)
 
Thank you so much Norwegianne! It's all pretty much what I figured, but it's nicer to hear from someone closer to the source (i.e. the Scandivian press). Thanks for taking the trouble. I look forward to the profile.:)
 
sonja

pardon my insistence, would like to know where I can find in Internet photos of Sonja Haraldsen when younger. Thanks.
 
Are there pictures of Sonja's brother and sister? :ermm:
I think I never saw any of them! :neutral:
 
Her_Majesty said:
Are there pictures of Sonja's brother and sister? :ermm:
I think I never saw any of them! :neutral:
I have
1940something.jpg
that I scanned from the book "Sonja Norges kronprinsesse" for the 1905-2005 Norwegian Monarchy project.
 
Thanks for posting the picture, Norwegianne! :rolleyes:
Are there any pictures of them when they were older?
Are there pictures of them attending the wedding of Harald and Sonja??
 
Family Portrait with Dagny Haraldsen (right) on Haakon's confirmation


Polfoto
 
LaMinka said:
Gry Haraldsen:
Gry Haraldsen was born in 1924. She was daugther of Karl August Haraldsen and Dagny Ulrichsen. She has a son named Dag. It has been told that she tok her one life, that she is not frinds with Sonja and she die in the 70.. Have anyone more info? I wod love to hear more about Gry!
Gry Haraldsen's son, Dag Swanstrøm, is the founder/owner of the cheese/dairy brand, Synnøve Finden.


Quote from an inteview about his background:
When he was 14 years old, he lost his father and his mother died when he was 17. Three years later he lost his guardian. His mother had large problems after strong experiences during the war, and was ill a lot. He was taken care of his grandmother and his "big sister" Sonja Haraldsen, today better known as Queen Sonja. She was the sister of Dag's mother.
http://www.orapp.no/oversikt/Argang_2005/29715/jobbliv/29833
 
Just a question:
How is Pia Haraldsen releated to Queen Sonja?
 
Her_Majesty said:
Just a question:
How is Pia Haraldsen releated to Queen Sonja?
She is the adopted daughter of Sonja's nephew. (His ex-wife's biological daughter.)
 
norwegianne said:
She is the adopted daughter of Sonja's nephew. (His ex-wife's biological daughter.)
Thank you!
I thought she would be a niece or something (directly releated to the Queen). Now I know. ;)
 
Yes,Sonja looks a lot like her mother.
 
Last edited:
Thank you for the photos!
Sonja's brother looks exactly like their mother.
That last picture is very cute :flowers:
 
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