When the Norwegian soccer team arrived home yesterday after their World Cup run, the Norwegian royal family—King Harald, Crown Prince Haakon, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, and Prince Sverre Magnus—welcomed them to the Royal Palace in Oslo. After the reception, Haakon and his children joined the team and fans celebrating in the Palace Square.
King Harald and the national team at the Palace.Ola Vatn / The Royal Court
Missing from the reception and festivities were two notable members of the family: Princess Mette-Marit, who is recovering from a lung transplant (she was discharged from the hospital this morning), and Queen Sonja. The Norwegian Queen, the Barents Observer reported today, was sailing on the royal yacht in Jarfjorden, located near the border of Russia. “The ship is on a private mission,” a press spokeswoman for the royal family told the paper. No further details will be shared about the Queen’s private schedule.
The Barents Observer noted, however, “Queen Sonja is a keen hiker and has made countless visits to nature destinations across the country. In the Jarfjord area, the queen can visit a number of unique sites, several of which are located immediately adjacent to the border with Russia. Queen Sonja has visited Kirkenes and its surroundings on several previous occasions, both on private and official missions.”
The royal yacht pictured in 2024.Per Ole Hagen – Getty Images
Queen Sonja, who celebrated her 89th birthday earlier this month, has maintained a lower profile lately; she was hospitalized in May with heart failure. In April, she and King Harald traveled to Sweden aboard the royal yacht for the 80th birthday celebrations of King Carl XVI Gustaf.
The royal yacht Norge, a gift from the people of Norway to King Haakon VII, is now owned by King Harald. The King, Queen Sonja, and the royal family use the “vessel on private journeys as well as in connection with official engagements in Norway and abroad.” The royal standard is flown when the King and Queen are on board; a local couple in Jarfjorden told the Barents Observer that the Norge is currently flying the royal flag.
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