Royal Profile: 41 Facts about Queen Sonja of Norway

1. Queen Sonja of Norway was born as Sonja Haraldsen on 4 July 1937 in Olso, Norway {Source}.
2. She is the daughter of clothing merchant Karl August Haraldsen and Dagny Ulrichsen{Source}. 
3. She grew up at 1B Tuengen Allé in the district of Vinderen in Oslo and completed her lower secondary schooling in 1954{Source}. 
4. She received a diploma in dressmaking and tailoring at the Oslo Vocational School, as well as a diploma from École Professionelle des Jeunes Filles in Lausanne,Switzerland{Source}. 
5. There, she studied accounting, fashion design, and social science{Source}. 
6. She also attended the University of Olso, where she earned a degree in French, English and Art History{Source}.
7. She and then-Crown Prince Harlad of Norway began their courtship in 1959{Source}. 
8. Crown Prince Harald's father objected to the relationship due to her being of non-royal status{Source}. 
9. Once the young crown prince made it clear with his father that he would marry no one unless he could marry Sonja, his father consented to the marriage {Source}.
10.  The two were wed on 28 August 1968{Source}. 
11. Together, they have two children:
1. Princess Märtha  Louise of Norway (1971)
2. Crown Prince Haakon of Norway (1973)
12. They also have a former son-in-law, and a daughter-in-law:
1. Mr. Ari Behn (1972)
2. Crown Princess Mette-Marit (1973)
13. They have four granddaughters:
1. Maud Angelica Behn (2003)
2. Leah Isadora Behn (2005)
3. Emma Taullah Behn (2008)
4. Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway (2004)
14. Queen Sonja has one biological grandson:
1. Prince Sverre Magnus of Norway (2005)
15. She also has a step-grandson:
1. Mr. Marius Borg Høiby (1997) 
16. Upon their marriage, she became Crown Princess Sonja of Norway{Source}.
17.  She immediately began to perform royal duties both at home and abroad{Source}. 
18. She established the The Queen Sonja International Music Competition in 1988{Source}. 
19. It was originally for pianists, but in 1995 the competition became only for singers{Source}.
20. The jury consists of diverse authoritative figures in opera and the winners receive a cash amount and prestigious engagements at Norwegian music institutions{Source}.
21. Queen Sonja accompanied King Harald when he swore his oath to uphold the Constitution in the Storting on 21 January 1991{Source}. 
22. This marked the first time in 69 years that a Norwegian Queen had been present in the Storting{Source}. 
23. Subsequently, the Queen, frequently together with Crown Prince Haakon, has accompanied the King to the formal opening of the fall session of the Storting and the reading of the Speech from the Throne{Source}.
24. In accordance with their own wishes, King Harald and Queen Sonja were consecrated in Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim on 23 June 1991{Source}. 
25. In connection with the consecration ceremony, the King and Queen conducted a 10-day tour of Southern Norway{Source}. 
26. The following year, the entire Royal Family conducted a 22-day tour of Norway’s four northernmost counties{Source}.
27. She shares a birthday with:
1. Prince Michael of Kent (1942)
2. Princess Chulabhorn of Thailand (1957)
3. Princess Rayet bint Al Hashim of Jordan (2008)
28. Through her husband, she is the daughter-in-law of Crown Prince Olav (the future King Olav V, 1903-1991) and Crown Princess Märtha (1901-1954) {Source}. 
29. She has two older sisters-in-law {Source}:
1. Princess Ragnhild (1930-2012)
2. Princess Astrid, Mrs. Ferner (1932)
30. Through her husband, she had two brothers-in-law{Source}:
1. Erling Lorentzen (1923-)
2. Johann Martin Ferner (1927-2015)
31. Through her husband, she has the following nephews:
1. Haakon Lorentzen (1954)
2. Ingeborg Lorentzen (1957) 
3. Ragnhild Lorentzen (1968)
32. Queen Sonja has the following nieces through her husband{Source}:
1. Ingeborg Lorentzen Ribeiro (1957) 
2. Ragnhild Lorentzen (1968) 
3. Ms. Cathrine Ferner (1962)
4. Mr. Benedikte Ferner (1963)
5. Mr. Alexander Ferner (1965)
6. Mrs. Elisabeth Ferner Beckmann (1969)
7. Mr. Carl-Christian Ferner (1972)
33. Through her husband, she has the following nieces and nephews-in-law {Source}:
1. Martha Carvalho de Freitas (1958)
2. Martha Carvalho de Freitas (1958, m. 1982) 
3. Paulo César Ribeiro Filho (m 1982)
4. Aaron Long (m. 2003)
34. In her marriage, she has the following great-nephews{Source}:
1. Olav Alexander Lorentzen (1985)
2. Christian Frederik Lorentzen (1988)
3. Mr. Sebastian Ferner Johansen (1990).
4. Mr. Edward Ferner (1996)
5. Master Benjamin Ferner Beckmann (1999)
35. Her great nieces through her husband are{Source}:
1. Sophia Anne Lorentzen (1994)
2. Victoria Ragina Ribeiro Sampaio (1988)
3. Alexandra Long (2007)
4. Elizabeth Long (2011)
36. Through her marriage, she has the following great nieces and nephews-in-law{Source}:
1. Felipe Sampaio Falcão (m. 2014)
37. In her marriage, she has the following greatx2 nieces and nephews{Source}:
1. Frederik Sven Falcao (2016)
38. Every year in the afternoon of 17 May, the King and Queen visit one of Oslo’s districts{Source}. 
39. This gives them the opportunity to meet the population and gain an insight into the various activities taking place throughout the capital{Source}. The King receives many invitations to events and commemorative activities all over the country, and tries, as far as his programme will allow, to be present{Source}. 
40. During Olympic years, he and Queen Sonja can often be seen at events, cheering on "their" team{Source}. 
41. The King and Queen were actively involved in connection with the 1994 Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer.