Queen Sonja of Norway Net Worth

Background and career

Sonja (born Sonja Haraldsen; 4 July 1937) is a member of the Norwegian royal family who was Queen of Norway from 1991 to 2026 as the wife of King Harald V. She is the mother of Haakon VIII, the current king of Norway.

Sonja and the then Crown Prince Harald had dated for nine years before their marriage in 1968. They kept their relationship secret because of the controversy surrounding Sonja's status as a commoner. Harald told his father, King Olav V, that he would remain unmarried if he did not receive consent to marry her. Upon their marriage, Sonja became crown princess and later Queen of Norway upon her husband's accession to the throne in 1991, becoming Norway's first queen consort since Maud of Wales, who died in 1938. The couple have two children together: Princess Märtha Louise and King Haakon VIII. They were married for almost 58 years, until Harald's death in August 2026. Following her husband's death, she became queen mother and is officially titled kongemor ("the King's mother").

As queen, Sonja held patronage of up to 15 organisations. She served as Vice President of the Norwegian Red Cross from 1987 to 1990. In 2005, she became the first queen to visit Antarctica. In 2017, she received the Trysil-Knut Prize, becoming the first woman to receive the award. She is known for her interest in music, art, and culture, having founded the Queen Sonja International Music Competition and the Queen Sonja Print Award. She is also a graphic artist and ceramicist, with many of her works being featured in exhibitions across Norway and other countries.