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Norway

King and queen reveal their autumn project: picking their own tombs

The King and Queen of Norway are planning where they’ll spend eternity together.

Harald V and Sonja are looking at settling all the details of their joint tombs – although royal officials say the project is at an early stage.

The couple’s plans for eternity have been revealed in a rather more down to earth document. The Norwegian government’s proposal for the country’s budget showed that money is being put aside to cover the costs of a joint tomb for King Harald and Queen Sonja.

King Harald and Queen Sonja
King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway are looking at plans for a joint tomb
(Photo by Jørgen Gomnæs, Det kongelige hoff)

Around 20 million Norwegian kroner (£1.4 million) has been allocated for the royal tombs in the budget.

The plans confirm that the King and Queen of Norway will, eventually, share a sarcophagus at Akerhus Fortress. It is where Harald V’s parents, King Olav V and Martha, are buried together. King Harald’s grandparents, King Haakon VII and Queen Maud, are also interred there in a joint tomb.

King Haakon VII and Queen Maud of Norway
King Haakon and Queen Maud were Norway’s first modern monarch and consort
(By Peder O. Aune, CC BY 2.0, Wiki Commons)

The design of the sarcophagus is at a very early stage.

Harald V, 87, will mark the 34th anniversary of his reign in January 2025.

About author

Lydia Starbuck is Jubilee and Associate Editor at Royal Central and the main producer and presenter of the Royal Central Podcast and Royal Central Extra. Lydia is also a pen name of June Woolerton who is a journalist and writer with over twenty years experience in TV, radio, print and online. Her latest book, A History of British Royal Jubilees, is out now. Her new book, The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr, will be published in March 2024. June is an award winning reporter, producer and editor. She's appeared on outlets including BBC 5 Live, BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Local Radio and has also helped set up a commercial radio station. June is also an accomplished writer with a wide range of material published online and in print. She is the author of two novels, published as e-books. She is also a marriage registrar and ceremony celebrant.