It was love at first sight!
Hip, hip, hooray! Queen Sonja of Norway is blowing out 87 candles today. She now shares the same age as her husband, King Harald of Norway. Their love story is special, and incredibly romantic. For the queen’s birthday, we look back at their love story.
Birthday
Today, a post appears on Instagram in which the Norwegian royal family congratulates the queen on her eighty-seventh birthday. In the photo, you see Sonja waving on a boat. Can you believe that this lady is 87 years old today? Neither can we!
Sonja Haraldsen was born on July 4, 1937, the daughter of a dressmaker and salesman, Karl Haraldsen, from Oslo. She also trained as a dressmaker before studying French, English and Art History. No wonder the Norwegian royal always looks her best! Sonja has fully embraced her royal status. For more than thirty years, she has sat firmly next to her Harald on the throne, and you could almost forget that for a long time it was uncertain whether Sonja would ever be queen…
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citizen girl
Harald and Sonja met at a party of a mutual friend in 1959. It was love at first sight. A love that had to take place in secret, because Sonja was an ordinary middle-class girl. Of good descent, but not of noble birth. King Olaf, Harald’s father, therefore did not want to hear anything about a marriage between the two. For this reason, they had to keep their relationship a secret for nine (!) years.
It was a years-long struggle for the couple in love, and it came to a head when the Crown Prince threatened never to marry, if it wasn’t to Sonja. The government and parliament were worried, because that would mean the end of the monarchy. In 1968, King Olaf finally gave his blessing and the lovebirds got married. This ‘scandal’ did not, however, detract from Harald’s popularity with the people.
Step down?
The royal couple is still happily in love and supports each other unconditionally. Earlier this year, the Norwegian king made headlines when he had to be hospitalized in Malaysia where he received a pacemaker. For the sake of his health, Harald has since taken a step back.
“Due to his age, the King is adjusting his program in the future. This involves a permanent reduction in the number and scope of the activities he participates in,” the Norwegian court declares in a public statement. Will he abdicate earlier? No way. The King indicates that he has taken an “oath for life.” From the sound of it, King Harald will remain on the throne for a while. And fortunately, he will always have his Sonja by his side.
Source: Blue Blood | Image: NL Image
