A presentation of Queen Sonja and her accomplishments etc.
H.M. Queen Sonja
When Crown Prince Harald took over the distinction of King after his father’s, King Olav Vs passing January 17th 1991, Norway got her first Queen in 53 years.
Sonja Haraldsen was made Crown Princess Sonja with her marriage to Crown Prince Harald August 29th 1968. The engagement started a wide debate about the kingdom’s future in Norway. But the opposition for that the Norwegian heir chose a partner without a royal family was less that feared. Crown Princess Sonjawas from the start accepted by all of the people as a member of the very popular Norwegian royal family.
Practical education
Queen Sonja is the daughter of Dagny and Karl Haraldsen. She was born July 4th 1937. She grew up at Vindern in Oslo. She took her high school exam in 1954 and had her education as a dress seamstress at Oslo technical college. She took a diploma at l’Ecole Professionelle des jeunes Filles in Lausanne, Switzerland, where her lessons included civics, accounting and fashion design. Later she took her G.C.E (S.A.T) as a private candidate, and took her BA at the University of Oslo with the subjects French, English and Art History.
Official assignments
As Crown Princess she did a lot of official assignemnts, sometimes teaming up with her father-in-law, King Olav, sometimes with her husband and sometimes alone. They helped the industry and commerce by opening doors for Norwegian export industry.
Vivid engagement
The Queen have been doing extensive travelling both in Norway and abroad, and is the protector of several organisations. In 1972 Crown Princess Sonja was engaged in the start of a fund in her daughter’s name. “H.R.H Princess Märtha Louises Fund”, helping disabled Norwegian children. She is engaged in the condtions of refugees and immigrants, and visits the disadvantaged and social institutions for elders, children and mentally disabled.
In the 1970’s she was participating actively in larg fundrasers to help international refugees. She travelled in connection with this into the field, and visited Vietnamese boatrefugees in Malaya. For this effort she got the Nansen-medallion in 1982 from the UN high commissioner for refugees. With the medallion there was the Nansen-prize of $50000. She gave all the prize-money to the building of schools for refugees in Tanzania.
From 1987 to 1990 she was the vice-president of the Norwegian Red Cross. As responsible for the organizations international work, she went in 1989 with a Red-Cross delegation to Zimbabwe and Botswana. The intention with the journey was to study the work of certain rehabilitationcentres for disabled, project that gets financial aid from Norway.
Taking oath and benediction
January 21st 1991 King Harald gave his oath to the constitution. Queen Sonja accompanied him at this historical event which took place in the Parliament. It was then 69 years since the last time a Queen was present in the Parliament assembly hall. Later the Queen has been present during the solemn opening of the Parliament.
June 23rd 1991 was King Harald at his own wish benedicted in Nidarosdomen. Queen Sonja also recieved the churchs benediction. Later the same year the King and Queen made a 10 day benedictionjourney in the southern part of Norway. The next year they finished the benedictionjourney with a 22 journey in the northernmost counties of Norway.
As King and Queen Harald and Sonja have completed a lot of representation-assignment in Norway and abroad.
Winter Olympics 1994
Among the causes that interested the Queen in the beginning of the 1990’s was the planning of the cultural activities in connection with the winter olympics in Lillehammer in 1994. This assignment was given to her being the honorary member of the Olympic Games commitee’s cultural commitee. The Queen was an interested spectator during the proceding of several Olympic arrangements.
Thorough preparations
The position as the countrys Queen involve assignments such as travels, speeches, official visits, being hostess at the Palace. These assignments demand thorough preparations.
Queen Sonja have many private interests that she combines naturally to the assignments as Norways First Lady. Among others she has shown big interest in pictorial arts and interior decoration. Each year the Queen take long trips on ski or by foot in the Norwegian mountains. The Queen is a certified sking instructor. The King and Queen resides at the Palace in Oslo.
Two children
The King and Queen have two children, Princess Märtha Louise (born September 27th 1971) and Crown Prince Haakon (borne July 23rd 1973).
I found this presentation on the parliamentary web-pages (www.odin.dep.no)
I’ve translated it myself, therefore it’s not perfect!! I found that it wasn’t totally updated, so I updated the translation to match the present. (I.e it still said that the King and Queen lived at Skaugum, which they don’t). Hope you find it interesting
Dont know where to put this. For those who are registered to NRK.no you can wach the year with the royal family:
Some of what you get to see
King and Queen on Statevisit
King Sailing and aboard the royal Yacht
The King reciving a new ambassadour
Haakon in Cambodja
MM working on menthal health projects
Gala dinner for the Diplomatic Corps, Queen Sonja wearing a screaming yellow dress and Märtha what looks like a blue and white bed spread
At the very end there are video of the (secret) Gala dinner for the bishops. Sonja and MM both look great and you get to hear the bishops sing a very beautiful song during the dinner
To register at Nrk.no is free and not very difficult to understand even if you dont understand norwegian. You need a valid e-mail address because I think you get a code you have to put the first time you use it
(Brukernavn=username)
(Passord=Pasword)
To se the program go to Nett-TV---->Nyheter--->Kongehuset---->året med kongefamilien. Once you are registered you can also wach many of the other royal programs stored in the royal archive, christening (dåp) of Ingrid and Maud, Wedding in Denmark and Spain, some small documentary, lots of waiting for MM to give birth and more....
Queen Sonja of Norway attends the funeral of Luxembourg Grand Duchess Josephine Charlotte, in Notre Dame de Luxembourg's cathedral, 15 January 2005 in Luxembourg. Josephine-Charlotte, a member of the Belgian royal family held captive by the Nazis in World War II, was laid to rest to day after her death this week at the age of 77. AFP PHOTO JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN (Photo credit should read JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN/AFP/Getty Images)
Just wondering if you have noticed that some of the presentations of the Royal houses at Hellomagazine.com is not very updated and sometimes also wrong? I have a look at Hellomagazine.com every day to get some royal news (and yes I know it isn't the most reliable source of information!) and also use the presentations of the different houses to learn more about the background and history. And it shouldn't be too complicated to get them right. It's rather annoying, because it spreads wrongful information. Here are some examples from the House of Norway link;
King Harald and Queen Sonja's children, Crown Prince Haakon and Princess Martha Louise, have proved extremely popular members of the next generation of young, modern European royals. Crown Prince Haakon's courtship of Mette-Marit was initially a subject of controversy due to her past and status as a single mother. She soon won the public around, however, and their 2001 nuptials were greeted with widespread celebration. In 2002 Princess Martha Louise married writer Ari Behn, in a romantic Trondheim ceremony and gave birth in 2003 to baby daughter Maud.
What about Princess Ingrid Alexandra!! Quit a few things have happened since 2003. She is present in the family tree link, but not in the initial presentation.
Apart from a brief period during the German occupation in the early 1940s, the palace remained the primary residence of the royal family until 1991 when the current king, Harald V, moved his family to the nearby estate of Skaugum, just outside Oslo. The Royal Palace is currently undergoing major renovations, after which it will resume its role as a royal residence.
This is totally wrong!! Fact is that Skaugum is the crown princely home in which CP Harald and CP Sonja lived in until 1991, when they became King and Queen, then they moved to the Palace. King Olav had lived alone at the palace. The palace was renovated some years back, but have been finished for a long time (and I think they lived in the guests rooms while the palace undervent renovation).
Have any of you noticed such mistakes in other royal houses?
Here are some more photos from the university opening that I found from the Scandinavian message board. The photos are from the university's website (www.uis.no)
Here are some more photos from the university opening that I found from the Scandinavian message board. The photos are from the university's website (www.uis.no)
Thanks for the great pictures Lyonnaise. Harald looks good and healthy.
I just found this horrible pic of Queen Sonja in the 80's, she looks like a poodle, doesn't she? Nothin ill meant to this otherwise fantastic Queen, it was the fashion of that time I suppose - but I guess it's nothing she looks back at with aw these days... :)
The King and Queen will make an official state visit to the United States in the end of February/the beginning of March. It's one of the events marking the 1905-2005 anniversary.
Recently, there were some pictures posted of Queen Sonja being cut with shards of glass as she baptized a ship, but I can't remember where I saw them. I was wondering if anyone on this board has those pictures and, if they do, could they please post them? Thank you so much in advance.
__________________ "At times....I think that if you lifted my heart to your ear, you could hear the ocean. Yet sometimes, when the wind is warm or the crickets sing...I dream of a love for which even time will lie down and be still."
Recently, there were some pictures posted of Queen Sonja being cut with shards of glass as she baptized a ship, but I can't remember where I saw them. I was wondering if anyone on this board has those pictures and, if they do, could they please post them? Thank you so much in advance.
Thank you. Now, do you mind if I post the pictures on the Crown Princess Mary Board? I can put them in my photobucket too, to make it easier and not steal your bandwidth. Thanks again.
__________________
__________________ "At times....I think that if you lifted my heart to your ear, you could hear the ocean. Yet sometimes, when the wind is warm or the crickets sing...I dream of a love for which even time will lie down and be still."
and more....
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