Queen Sonja of Norway has her royal status downgraded following the death of her husband, King Harald

Royal watchers were ‘outraged’ to learn that Queen Sonja of Norway’s position in the royal family has been ‘downgraded’ following the death of her husband, King Harald. After serving as the nation’s Queen Consort for 35 years, the 89-year-old royal was stripped of her ‘Your Majesty’ styling and has since been relegated from a member of the Royal House to ‘Other Members of the Royal Family’ on the Norwegian royal website.

Traditionally, the ‘Royal House’ refers only to the monarch, the consort, the immediate heir, their spouse, and any next of kin and their spouses. Following the death of King Harald in August, the Norwegian Royal House is made up of King Haakon VIII and Queen Mette-Marit and their daughter, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra. Their son, Prince Sverre Magnus, is listed under ‘Other Members of the Royal Family’, along with Haakon’s sister, Princess Märtha Louise, and, now, Queen Sonja.

This shift comes with a notable change in royal rights for the former Queen Consort, who is known as kongemor or ‘the King’s mother’ following the accession of her son. She is no longer entitled to a gun salute on her birthday, nor will the occasion be marked by the flying of the Norwegian flag. It is now also expected that Queen Sonja will pay income tax.

Many royal watchers suggested that the ‘downgrade’ – as described by royal historian Marlene Eilers Koenig – marks a lack of consideration for Queen Sonja’s decades of service, especially considering that she will continue her public duties. Indeed, the royal family is perhaps more in need of Queen Sonja’s wise hand – and remarkable work ethic more than ever. The new queen, Mette-Marit, is unable to perform royal engagements until the summer, as she continues to recover from her lung transplant in June; likewise, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra will be dedicating her time to her university studies.

After marrying then-Crown Prince Harald in 1968 (it took the future king nine years to convince his father, King Olav V, to permit him to marry a commoner), Sonja Haraldsen dedicated her life to serving the royal family. Among her many achievements are her trip to Antarctica in 2005 (making her the first queen to visit the continent), becoming the first woman to receive the Trysil-Knut Prize in 2017, and her appointment as a Rear Admiral in the Royal Norwegian Navy and a Brigadier in the Norwegian Army.

In addition to honours and titles, Queen Sonja has spent countless days supporting her many charities and patronages. Between 1987 and 1990, she was the Vice President of the Norwegian Red Cross, championing the charity as part of a delegation to Botswana and Zimbabwe in 1989. She founded the Queen Sonja International Music Competition in 1988 and channelled her passion for printmaking, graphic arts and ceramics into a number of exhibitions and the founding of the Queen Sonja Nordic Art Award in 2011.

The Norwegian family have suffered two grave losses in the past few months. King Harald’s death on 28 August at the age of 89 brought an entire era of monarchy to a close, leaving the royal family in turmoil as Mette-Marit faces health battles and scrutiny over her contact with Jeffrey Epstein. Just two weeks later, his older sister, Princess Astrid, died at the age of 94, leaving the Norwegian royal house bereft of yet another guiding hand.

As one generation of royals makes way for the next, there are many who feel as though Queen Sonja has been slighted by this alteration in royal status. Undoubtedly, though, the diligent royal will continue to serve the crown – and the nation more widely – as best she can for as long as she can continue to do so.