A New Kind of Queen for Norway

Photo from Norwegian Royal Household

With the death of King Harald II of Norway in 2026, his wife Queen Sonja made history. She became the first Dowager Queen of Norway since Queen Margaret of Denmark outlived King Haakon VI Magnusson in 1380. (Of course, Margaret asserted her own authority, eventually ruling as Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. For her story, see my post The Pantsless King.) For the next 500 years, Norway was ruled by foreign kings in union with Denmark and/or Sweden. When it finally gained its independence from Sweden in the early 20th Century, Norway voted to make Prince Carl of Denmark its new King. Carl adopted the name and title King Haakon VII and renamed his toddler son Olav, in tribute to Norway's earlier history. 

Carl/Haakon's wife, however, did not change her name. Having been born Princess Maud of Wales, youngest daughter of Queen Victoria's heir, she became Queen Maud. In 1905, the small family of three was welcomed to their new homeland with great fanfare, in large part because when Haakon was offered the crown, it was he who insisted on a plebiscite to confirm the people's opinion.

Maud and Haakon were first cousins, both grandchildren of King Christian IX of Denmark, and had strong ties to the Danish Royal Family. Maud's heart, however, remained tied to Britain, where her father had ascended the throne as King Edward VII in 1901. She maintained a grace-and-favour house on her father's Sandringham estate called Appleton House and visited frequently, even maintaining her charitable roles there. Somewhat introverted, she did not necessarily enjoy the public role of being a queen, but she had learned a few things from her elegant mother, Queen Alexandra: when in doubt, layer on more jewels! Her regal appearance helped to solidify the new monarchy's place.

Queen Maud and King Haakon VII

by Peder O. Aune via Wikimedia Commons

Another attribute Maud gained from her active parents truly connected her to the Norwegian people. She loved sport, particularly the winter sports like skiing that are innate to everyone in Norway. She was also a superior horsewoman. During World War I, while Norway maintained a neutrality that leaned heavily in favor of Britain, Maud, like many royal women of the day took an active role in relief efforts. However, she was not afraid to push against tradition either. In fact, she was one of few royal women to engage with edgier social subjects, even supporting a home for unwed mothers.

Maud helped establish the traditions and homes of the Norwegian Royal Family in line with those of her home nation. Even though her parents and and all of her siblings had passed away by the mid-1930s, she was still welcomed warmly by her nephew, King George VI. During one of her regular visits, she grew very ill and was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. King Haakon dashed from Norway to be at her side as she underwent a surgery that successfully removed the tumor. Nevertheless, the weakened queen's heart failed and she died on November 20, 1938 just days before her 69th birthday. Her body was returned to Norway on a British naval flag ship and she became the first royal to be buried at Akershus Fortress in Oslo since the 13th Century. King Haakon survived her by more than 20 years but never remarried.

Martha and Olav in 1929

by G. Hård from the Norwegian National Library

via Wikimedia Commons

Instead, their daughter-in-law, the former Crown Princess Martha of Sweden became Norway's first lady. Martha and Crown Prince Olav were second cousins, both great-grandchildren of the prolific King Christian IX of Denmark. Martha was a granddaughter of Sweden's King Oscar II, who had also been King of Norway at the time that Norway gained its independence. As children of a younger son of the king, Martha and her siblings grew up in a more casual royal upbringing. Their parents even made sure their three daughters learned marketable skills -- cooking, childcare, first aid -- just in case they needed to make a living or become homemakers one day. As it happens, Margaretha married Danish Prince Axel, Astrid married King Leopold II of Belgium (read my post about her End of a Fairytale), and Martha married the future Norwegian king. Amazingly, all three of these elite marriages were also genuine love matches.

Olav had been slipping quietly across the border to visit Martha in Sweden without the public or the media taking notice. In 1928, they traveled separately to Amsterdam for the Olympic Games. Having won a gold medal in sailing, Olympian Olav proposed and Martha happily accepted. The engagement was finally announced in early 1929 to great public joy in both countries. Their true love match also symbolized "healing" for the two nations that had separated when the bride and groom were very young. Their wedding in March 1929 was the first royal wedding in Norway in over 300 years. 

The couple quickly set up nursery with Princess Ragnhild arriving the next year and Princess Astrid two years after that. Their last child and only son, Crown Prince Harald was born in 1937. In public, Martha assumed the usual round of royal duties with public appearances and charitable works, but she added something new to her repertoire: public speaking. Very few royal women gave speeches at that time, but Martha's natural grace and confidence were well-suited to the task. 

Martha and Harald with their children
(from left) Astrid, baby Harald and Ragnhild

by Anders Beer Wilse from Norwegian National Library
via Wikimedia Commons

As dark clouds were gathering in Europe, the couple was sent to the United States to shore up American support for the small nation. Martha and Olav built solid friendships with President Franklin Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. They also toured through areas where many Norwegian immigrants had settled, strengthening the ties back to the homeland. These connections were to be critical in the years ahead. 

Once again intending to remain neutral, Norway was forced into World War II when Germany invaded in April 1940. Martha and her three young children were rushed to the Swedish border by car and on foot because the train had been bombed the day before. Traveling incognito, they were denied access when they could not produce their passports. Princess Astrid, who was eight at the time, recalled that her mother took control and ordered their driver to smash through the gates. King Haakon and Crown Prince Olav set up a operations at a secret location in Norway and then later narrowly escaped to London, where Olav's cousin King George VI allowed them to establish a government in exile.            

Martha's presence in the officially neutral Sweden soon became diplomatically problematic. Martha's recently acquired friend offered a solution by inviting her and the children to come to the United States. He sent an American transport ship to pick them up from a Finnish port and bring them across the Atlantic. They initially stayed in the White House. Many speculate that the President and the Crown Princess had a romantic relationship. Whether true or not, Roosevelt certainly admired her and valued her opinion. Her presence in the U.S. brought many benefits to Norway, including a U.S. built submarine, which she christened. When not advocating for Norway with the U.S. government and wealthy Norwegian-Americans, Martha was active with the Red Cross.  

After the war, the whole family was reunited in Norway following five years of separation. The Norwegian people welcomed them all with great pride and affection. By then in his 70s, King Haakon's health was steadily declining leading Olav and Martha to take on even more responsibilities. However, the king was not the only one ailing. In 1947, Martha had returned to the United States to undergo back surgery and received a blood transfusion contaminated with hepatitis. That illness eventually caused her to develop cirrhosis of the liver. She died at age 53, two weeks after their 25th wedding anniversary and four months before the birth of her first grandchild. She was the second modern royal buried at Akershus. Olav survived her by nearly 37 years and like his father, never remarried. He became King Olav V upon his father's death in 1957 and reigned until his own death in early 1991. Norway had no queen for more than 52 years from Maud's death until Olav's when King Harald V succeeded with Queen Sonja at his side. 

Sonja and Harald in 1968
via Wikimedia Commons

Their road to the throne together had not been an easy one, however. Sonja Haraldsen had been born among the "common" people. Her father was a clothing merchant. She studied accounting and fashion and helped out in the family business. The couple met through common social connections and quickly fell in love in their early twenties. King Olav, a descendant of generations of royal-to-royal marriages strongly objected to an unequal marriage for his heir. (See my post, Unequal Marriage Equals Happy Marriage?) He actively intervened to prevent them from marrying but Harald persisted; he would not consider anyone but Sonja. The media had learned of the romance however, making Sonja the "Waity Katie" of her generation. She kept engaged with her work and even completed an undergraduate degree in English, French and history at the University of Oslo, where her granddaughter Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra enrolled in August 2026. After nine years, Harald's obstinence finally caused Olav to relent. Better an unequal marriage than an end to the royal dynasty. 

Sonja and Harald were married on August 29, 1968 and the new Crown Princess soon became a very popular first lady for her father-in-law. However, the couple's joy was marred in 1970 with a terrible miscarriage. After waiting so long to marry, were they to be denied a family after all? Finally, more than three years after their wedding, Princess Martha Louise was born in September 1971 followed by Prince Haakon Magnus in July 1973. Their family was complete. 

As Crown Princess and then Queen, Sonja undertook the usual round of royal public and social duties. In 1972, she launched a fund in her newborn daughter's name to help children with disabilities. She established a music competition and a school to promote diversity and inclusion. She is particularly well-known for promoting the visual arts and outdoor sports, particulary trekking. She has also travelled widely representing Norway, becoming the first queen to visit Antarctica, when she went there in 2005 to open a research station in Queen Maud Land. She became a grandmother for the first time in 2003 with the birth of Princess Martha Louise's first daughter Maud Angelica Behn.

In more recent years, Sonja has suffered some health issues, especially atrial fibrillation for which she was implanted with her first pacemaker in 2005. A few months before Harald's death the condition landed her in the hospital again.  

King Harald died one day before their 58th wedding anniversary, making Sonja the first royal wife in modern Norway to outlive her husband. Although she is the first Queen Dowager, she will simply be addressed as Queen Sonja. This moment also marks the first time, one Queen Consort (Sonja) is followed by another, new King Haakon VIII's wife, the former Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby.