1968 - The engagement of Prince Harald, Crown Prince of Norway to Miss Sonja Haraldsen was announced. The engagement was officially announcedat 11am from the Royal Palace. The President of the Storting, Mr Bernt Ingvaldsen presented the following message from King Olav to the Storting: “It is with pleasure that I inform you, Mr President and Members of the Storting, that I, after seeking advice from the Prime Minister, members of the Government, you, Mr President, and the parliamentary leaders of the political parties, have today given my consent to my dear son, Crown Prince Harald, to take as his wife Miss Sonja Haraldsen, daughter of the late Mr Karl August Haraldsen and Mrs Dagny Haraldsen née Ulrichsen.” Behind the scenes of the engagement all had not been a bed of roses. The Crown Prince had faced an uphill battle with his father. At one point he made it clear that he would remain unmarried unless he could marry Sonja. Which would have effectively ended the monarchy in Norway.