Queen Sonja's work and public service
When King Harald V ascended to the Throne in 1991, Her Majesty Queen Sonja became Norway's first queen in 53 years. By that time, she had served as Norway’s First Lady since the wedding in 1968.
When His Majesty King Haakon VIII succeeded King Harald to the Norwegian throne on 28 August 2026, Her Majesty Queen Mette-Marit became the country’s new Queen. Queen Sonja had by then served as Norway’s First Lady for 58 years, since her marriage in 1968.
Official duties
Queen Sonja’s duties are many and varied, including participation at events in Norway and abroad, audiences, receptions and meetings at the Royal Palace.
She takes active part in the planning of the Palace's cultural outreach activities, open for the public at the Royal Palace, Oscarshall Summer Palace, ant the Queen Sonja Art Stable. The Art Stable was opened on the Queen’s 80th birthday, eight months after King Harald surprised her with the Royal Stables as a birthday gift. She takes an active interest in the maintenance and development of the Royal Palace and the other royal properties.
As Norway’s First Lady, Queen Sonja accompanied King Harald on state visits abroad and hosted foreign heads of state on state visits to Norway. Every year, they also undertook a county tour, during which they visited several of the municipalities in the county.
Social engagement
Queen Sonja has a strong sense of social engagement. She has been patron of - and has played an active role in - a variety of large-scale fundraising initiatives. Queen Sonja was a member of the committee for the first nationwide humanitarian telethon campaign in 1974, which raised funds for refugees, and served as patron in 2024 – celebrating 50 years of telethon. Queen Sonja served as Vice President of the Norwegian Red Cross from 1987 to 1990. In 1982 she was awarded the Nansen Medal by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for her efforts.
Queen Sonja seeks to follow up her interest in social issues to the greatest extent possible, attending conferences and key events for organisations dealing with relevant issues. Every year before Christmas she pays visits to institutions for various social groups such as children, vulnerable women, elderly people, the homeless and substance abusers. Queen Sonja is also concerned with conditions for immigrant women in Norway. She has met with representatives of women with minority backgrounds on many occasions, in connection with conferences, seminars and receptions at the Palace as well as through visits to private homes. Queen Sonja is patron of the MIRA Centre for for immigrant and refugee women.
Queen Sonja has a strong commitment to schooling and education. In 2005, she took the initiative to establish Queen Sonja’s School Award. The award is presented every other year to a Norwegian school that has demonstrated excellence in its efforts to promote inclusion and equality.
Until 2023, Queen Sonja presented the award herself. In 2023, the then Crown Prince Haakon took over this role.
Social engagement
Cultural interests
Queen Sonja has many interests that she combines with her official duties. She is particularly interested in art and culture, and attends art exhibitions and cultural events both in Norway and abroad as her programme will allow. Queen Sonja is also concerned with monuments of the past, and is patron of the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments.
In 2011, she established the Queen Sonja Art Scolarship in cooperation with artists Kjell Nupen, Ørnulf Opdahl and Ole Larsen. The award was initially presented to Nordic artists working in a paper-based format. In 2014, the prize became an international distinction and was renamed the Queen Sonja Print Award.
The Foundation behind the Queen Sonja Print Award seeks to generate interest in and promote the development of graphic art. The prize is currently believed to be the world’s largest graphic art award.
In recent years the Queen herself has become a graphic artist and ceramicist, and her works have been on display in a number of exhibitions in Norway and abroad.
Music is another major interest of Queen Sonja's. She is patron of the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Oslo Chamber Music Festival, the Norwegian Traditional Music and Dance Association, the Norwegian Youth Orchestra Association and Elverum Music Festival. She is also actively involved in the Queen Sonja Singing Competition. This competiton is held every other year and attracts outstanding young singers within opera and classical music from all over the world. Queen Sonja follows the competition and presents the prizes to the winners.
