Queen Sonja returns to duty at National Archives after King Harald's death

Queen Sonja of Norway returned to official duties on Monday, 12 October 2026, with a visit to the National Archives at Sognsvann in Oslo.

The visit was her first official engagement since the death of her husband, King Harald V of Norway, Hello!. Queen Sonja is 89. Her return came one month after King Harald's funeral.

The Norwegian Royal Palace announced the visit in a press release on the Friday afternoon before the Monday engagement, VG. The Archives, Norway's official store for public records, also listed the visit for 12 October. The notice made it a matter of public record in advance.

At Sognsvann, staff showed the Queen the condolences, letters, children's drawings and other tokens of remembrance left after King Harald's death. The material had been gathered from Slottsplassen, the square outside the Royal Palace in Oslo where mourners left tributes, NRK. It is being collected and preserved for posterity. That means the messages will be kept as part of the permanent historical record, not cleared away.

King Harald died on 28 August 2026 at the age of 89. He died at Oslo University Hospital after being hospitalised with an infection and a blood condition. His state funeral, the formal public funeral held for a head of state, took place on 9 September 2026. The Archives visit, just over a month later, was Queen Sonja's first step back into the public programme.

Britain was represented at the funeral by the Prince of Wales, accompanied by the Princess Royal. They stood in for King Charles. Their presence was recorded among the foreign guests at the service in Oslo.

King Harald was succeeded by his son, now King Haakon of Norway. The new heir is his granddaughter, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra. Crown Princess is the title for the first in line to the Norwegian throne.

Queen Sonja's return follows her own treatment for a heart problem last year. In January 2025, when she was 87, she was scheduled to undergo surgery to have a pacemaker inserted, Reuters. A pacemaker is a small device fitted to help regulate the heartbeat.

The choice of engagement was quiet. No speech was announced. The focus was the paper left by others.