The true story behind Norway’s most controversial royal romance

King Harald and Queen Sonja‘s love story is getting the TV treatment. Their romance has been one of the most impactful in royal contemporary history, modernizing the European monarchy in a time when it was unthinkable for a Crown Prince to marry a commoner. The show highlights why, sometimes, reality is better than fiction.

“The Commoner” premiered on Prime Video Norway on Valentine’s Day 2025 and has since generated considerable buzz and anticipation as it airs on different Norwegian channels. The show lands in an interesting moment for the Royal House, as they navigate a series of controversies and crises. Despite the noteworthy nature of Harald and Sonja in the ’60s, it represents a more wholesome picture of the monarchy and the problems that its family members and close relatives are experiencing today. 

A Love Story Made for Television

© Getty Images

Harald and Sonja’s romance is dramatic and sweeping. For nine years, Crown Prince Harald fought to convince his father, King Olav V, to allow him to marry Sonja. During the ’60s, when their story is set, a union of this kind was seen as the beginning of the end for the monarchy. Harald reportedly told his father that if the royal court didn’t grant him its blessing, he would fulfill his duty as King, yet he’d remain single for the rest of his life. 

The pair first met in 1959, after Harald invited Sonja to a ball celebrating his graduation from the Norwegian Military Academy. Their feelings deepened in secret in the following years, with both describing their bond as love at first sight. When the relationship became public, many believed King Olav and his council would never allow the marriage. 

© NTB scanpix/AFP via Getty Images

The Wedding That Changed the Norwegian Monarchy

After nearly a decade of keeping their feelings hidden and struggling with their family, King Olav V gave his blessing to the couple in March 1968. Harald and Sonja married on August 29 of that year at Oslo Cathedral. Despite the dramatic road, the two were warmly embraced by the Norwegian public, with their story prompting respect and admiration. 

The roles of Harald and Sonja are played by Sindre Strand Offerdal and Gina Bernhoft Gørvell, who, with the help of makeup, ended up looking remarkably similar to the real-life king and queen.

“The Commoner” is available to stream on Prime Video.