How King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway's revolutionary royal romance almost brought down the monarchy

King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway, photographed in 2016

Handout/Getty Images

Certainly not. After his 30th birthday, Harald gave his father an ultimatum. He was Olav’s only heir. Were he not to marry, not to have children, then his family’s royal line, and perhaps the very concept of monarchy itself in Norway, would die with him. The threat of 1000 years of history crumbling under his rule was sufficient incentive for the King. Olav sat down with Norway’s parliament and laid out the lovers’ land. While the politicians could not give their formal approval to the match of Crown Prince and commoner, they would certainly not oppose the King were he to give the couple his blessing.

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Cue the flags. On the 18th of March 1968, King Olav officially announced to the speaker of the Storting that his son would be marrying Sonja Haraldsen. All public buildings adorned themselves with the nation’s flag to celebrate the news, and Harald welcomed his soon-to-be bride into the family with a diamond and ruby ring, bequeathed to him by his late mother, Crown Princess Märtha. It was the same ring that Crown Prince Haakon would use half a century later when he followed in his father’s footsteps and married another non-royal: Mette-Marit.

The Commoner stars Sindre Strand Offerdal and Gina Bernhoft Gørvell as the Norwegian royal couple

Once convinced, the Norwegian royals planned to put on all the pomp and circumstance of a traditional royal wedding. Royals, aristocrats, and the most luminary names in contemporary culture all flocked to Oslo on 27 August. Then, tragedy struck. That day, as preparations were in full force for a royal gala ball, there was breaking news from Kensington Palace. Princess Marina of Kent had died. A close friend of King Olav, and the widow of his cousin, Princess Marina, passed away, sending shockwaves around the guests as they gathered at the royal palace. Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, was forced to cancel her visit to Norway for the wedding, and the grand ball was toned down to a dinner, out of respect.

The schedule was still a busy one: trips to art galleries, dinners in the mediaeval Akershus Fortress, and a luncheon with the senior lady-in-waiting of the court, the glittering society hostess, Else Werring. On the big day itself, 3000 soldiers lined the procession route from the Royal Palace. In a moving show of familial affection, the once frosty King Olav escorted Sonja into Oslo Cathedral, where the vaulted ceilings were decorated with over 2,500 roses, gladioli, and sweet peas. It had become customary among her sisters-in-law for royal women to forgo the traditional tiara, and Sonja, who once studied fashion, adorned her hair with flowers to match her lily of the valley bouquet. Her wedding gown was from Molstad, a local Norwegian department store. Henry Purcell was played as she walked down the aisle.

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Among the 850 guests inside the cathedral were Harald’s royal relatives, including his sister Princess Astrid, and his best man, Count Flemming of Rosenborg. Frederik IX of Denmark sat in the pews, alongside his wife Queen Ingrid and his daughter, Princess Margrethe, who would go on to become the country’s second-longest reigning monarch. King Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden was also in attendance, as was Baudouin, King of the Belgians.

King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway with their son, Haakon, his wife Mette-Marit and their children, Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus

CORNELIUS POPPE/Getty Images

Ceremonies over, the newlyweds drove through the streets of Norway, waving to the gathered crowds. A 21-gun salute was fired from Akershus, and a banquet at the Royal Palace culminated with a specially composed waltz for the couple. The events of 29 August 1968 would live long in Norway’s national mythology, not least for the nine years of courtship it required. The dramatic love story of King Harald and Queen Sonja revolutionised the country’s relationship with its ruling family and even paved the way for the wedding of Crown Prince Haakon and Mette-Marit, and, more recently, Princess Märtha Louise and the Shaman Durek Verrett.

Now, Queen Sonja faces life without her beloved husband. King Harald V has died in hospital, bringing to an end his 35-year reign – a rule conducted with his devoted wife by his side.

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