Margrethe II (Danish:[mɑˈkʁeˀtə]; Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, born 16 April 1940) is a member of theDanish royal family who reigned asQueen of Denmark from 14 January 1972 untilher abdication on 14 January 2024. Having reigned for exactly 52 years, she was the second-longest-reigning Danish monarch afterChristian IV.
The birth of Margrethe's younger sistersBenedikte andAnne-Marie followed in 1944 and 1946, respectively. The princesses grew up in apartments at Frederik VIII's Palace at Amalienborg in Copenhagen and inFredensborg Palace inNorth Zealand. Margrethe spent summer holidays with the royal family in her parents' summer residence atGråsten Palace inSouthern Jutland. On 20 April 1947, following the death of Christian X, Margrethe's father acceded to the throne as Frederik IX.[7]
At the time of her birth, only males could accede to the throne of Denmark, owing to the changes in succession laws enacted in the 1850s when theGlücksburg branch was chosen to succeed. As Margrethe had no brothers, it was assumed that her unclePrince Knud would one day assume the throne.[9]
The process of changing the constitution started in 1947, not long after Margrethe's father acceded to the throne and it became clear that Queen Ingrid would have no more children. The popularity of Frederik and his daughters and the more prominent role of women in Danish life started the complicated process of altering the constitution. The law required that the proposal be passed by two successiveParliaments and then bya referendum, which occurred on 27 March 1953. The newAct of Succession permitted femalesuccession to the throne of Denmark, according to male-preference cognaticprimogeniture, where a female can accede to the throne only if she does not have a brother. Princess Margrethe therefore becameheir presumptive.[3] In 2009, the law of succession was modified into absolute primogeniture.[10]
Margrethe attended the traditional New Year Courts for the first time in 1956.[2] On her eighteenth birthday, 16 April 1958, Margrethe was given a seat in theCouncil of State. She subsequently chaired the meetings of the Council in the absence of the King.[3] In 1960, with her first cousin,Princess Margaretha of Sweden, andPrincess Astrid of Norway, she travelled to the United States, which included a visit to Los Angeles, and to theParamount Studios, where they met several celebrities, includingDean Martin,Jerry Lewis andElvis Presley.[11]
She paid her first visit to theFaroe Islands in 1959, alongside her parents and sisters, and to Greenland in 1960.[2]
While Margrethe studied in London, she met the French diplomatHenri de Laborde de Monpezat, who was legation secretary at theFrench Embassy in London. Their engagement was announced on 5 October 1966. They were married on 10 June 1967, at theHolmen Church in Copenhagen, and the wedding reception was held atFredensborg Palace.[3] Laborde de Monpezat received the style and title of "His Royal Highness Prince Henrik of Denmark" because of his new position as the spouse of the heir presumptive to the Danish throne.[3] They were married for more than fifty years, until his death on 13 February 2018.[3]
Less than a year after the wedding, Margrethe gave birth to her first child, a son, on 26 May 1968. By tradition, Danish kings were alternately named either Frederik or Christian. She chose to maintain this by assuming the position of a Christian, and thus named her elder sonFrederik. The following year, a second child, namedJoachim, was born on 7 June 1969.[3]
Margrethe announced in 2008 that her male-line descendants would bear the additional title ofCount or Countess of Monpezat in recognition of her husband's ancestry.[12]
In 2022, the Queen announced that, from the start of 2023, the descendants of Prince Joachim will only be able to use their titles of Count and Countess of Monpezat, their previous titles of Prince and Princess of Denmark ceasing to exist. To allow the children, who were never expected to hold an official role within the royal family, to have normal lives, the Queen wanted "to create a framework for the four grandchildren, to a much greater degree, to be able to shape their own existence without being limited by the special considerations and obligations that a formal affiliation with the Royal House as an institution implies".[13] Her son, Joachim, daughter-in-law,Marie, former daughter-in-law,Alexandra, and eldest grandson,Nikolai, publicly expressed shock and confusion because of the decision,[14] after which Margrethe released a statement in which she said that it saddened her that she had upset Joachim's family.[15]
Along with her late husband, Margrethe has keptdachshunds since the 1970s.[2] She currently[when?] has one dog, the dachshund Tilia, who was Prince Henrik's dog until his death in 2018.
Margrethe (seated right) chairing a meeting of the Council of State on the day of her proclamation
On 3 January 1972, three days after King Frederik IX delivered his New Year's address, he suffered a heart attack and was admitted to theCopenhagen Municipal Hospital. Margrethe was then designatedregent the following day. The King died on 14 January, and Margrethe acceded to the throne at the age of 31, becoming the first female Danish sovereign under the new Act of Succession. She was proclaimed Queen from the balcony ofChristiansborg Palace the following day by Prime MinisterJens Otto Krag.[16]
Herregnal number was chosen in recognition of the 14th century Danish monarch,Margrethe.[2] Hermotto was "God's help, the love of the people, Denmark's strength" (Danish:Guds hjælp, folkets kærlighed, Danmarks styrke). She relinquished all the monarch's former titles except the title toDenmark, hence her style "By the Grace of God, Queen of Denmark" (Danish:Margrethe den Anden, af Guds Nåde Danmarks Dronning).[citation needed]
Margrethe hosting Russian PresidentDmitry Medvedev in Denmark, April 2010
The Queen's main tasks were to represent the kingdom abroad and to be a unifying figure at home. She performed the latter by opening exhibitions, attending anniversaries and inaugurating bridges, among other things. She received foreign ambassadors and awards, honours and medals.
As a constitutional sovereign, Margrethe took no part in party politics and does not express any political opinions. Although she had the right to vote, she opted not to do so to avoid even the appearance of partisanship.[3]
After an election where the incumbent prime minister does not have a majority behind him or her, the Queen held a "Dronningerunde" (Queen's meeting) in which she met the chairmen of each of theDanish political parties.[17]
Margrethe with Michelle Obama at the White House, June 2011
Each party has the choice of selecting a royal investigator to lead these negotiations or alternatively, give the incumbent prime minister the mandate to continue his or her government as is. In theory each party could choose its own leader as royal investigator, as the social liberalDet Radikale Venstre did in 2006, but often only one royal investigator is chosen plus the prime minister, before each election. The leader who, at that meeting, succeeds in securing a majority of the seats in theFolketing, is, by royal decree, charged with the task of forming a new government. (No party has held an absolute majority in the Folketing since 1903.)
Once the government had been formed, the Queen formally appointed it. Officially, it was the monarch who was thehead of state, and she therefore presided over the Council of State (privy council), where the acts of legislation which have been passed by the parliament are signed into law. In practice, nearly all of the Queen's formal powers were exercised by theCabinet of Denmark.
It was customary for Margrethe, as the Danish monarch, to host the annual New Yearlevées. Every year on 1 January, a banquet was held for the government, the Speaker of theDanish Parliament, representatives of official Denmark and the Royal Court at Christian VIII's Palace atAmalienborg. On day two, a levée was held at Christian VIII's Palace for the justices ofSupreme Court of Denmark and the Officer Corps of theRoyal Life Guards and theGuard Hussar Regiment, followed by a levée atChristiansborg Palace for thediplomatic corps. On day three, a levée was held for officers from theMinistry of Defence and theDanish Emergency Management Agency, the I., II. and III. ranking classes as well as invited representatives of major national organisations and the royal patronages.[18]
A pillar of her reign was an intricate knowledge of and connection to all parts of theDanish Realm. In 2016, she contributed to a book about Denmark's history.[20]
Assovereign, Margrethe received 42 officialstate visits and she undertook 55 foreign state visits herself. She and theroyal family have made several other foreign visits.[23][24]
In her New Year's address at the end of 1984, the Queen addressed thexenophobia experienced by many immigrants in Denmark:
We have the peace, the free political life and social relations that make our country a sought-after haven for many. Refugees from very different backgrounds come here, sometimes injured in both mind and body. We welcome them and are probably also a little proud that they have chosen our little paradise, but when we see them fumbling with our way of life and our language, hospitality becomes difficult all too quickly, and disappointment sets in on both sides. There are also others who have felt that, namely theguest workers and their families (...) Then we come with our 'Danish humour' and little cocky remarks. Then we meet them with coolness, and then it is not far to harassment and rougher methods—we cannot allow that. If we want the new year to be better than the old, then here is a good place to start.
In an interview within the 2016 bookDe dybeste rødder (The Deepest Roots), according to historians at theSaxo Institute of theUniversity of Copenhagen, Margrethe showed a change in attitude to immigration towards a more conservative stance. She stated that the Danish people should have more explicitly clarified the rules and values ofDanish culture in order to be able to teach them to new arrivals. She further stated that the Danes in general have underestimated the difficulties involved in successful integration of immigrants, exemplified with the rules of a democracy not being clarified to Muslim immigrants and a lack of readiness to enforce those rules. This was received as a change in line with the attitude of the Danish people.[29][30]
Faroese stamps marking the Queen's silver jubilee in 1997 and her ruby jubilee in 2012
Margrethe marked herSilver Jubilee in 1997 with a religious service and a gala dinner attended by fellow Scandinavian royals.[citation needed] She celebrated herRuby Jubilee, the 40th year on the throne, on 14 January 2012.[31] This was marked by a church service, concert, carriage procession, gala banquet atChristiansborg Palace and numerous TV interviews.[citation needed]
TheQueen's Golden Jubilee was marked on 14 January 2022, with celebrations to take place later in the year. In September, following thedeath of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, it was announced by the Royal House that it was "Her Majesty The Queen's wish that a number of adjustments be made" to the upcoming celebrations.[32]
Between Elizabeth II's death and her abdication, Margrethe was Europe's longest-reigning monarch, the world's onlyqueen regnant, and the longest-serving incumbent female head of state.[33]
In July 2023, theDanish Royal House recognized Margrethe II as Denmark's longest-reigning sitting monarch.[34][35] ThoughChristian IV reigned for more than 59 years between 1588 and 1648, he was not officially installed until 1596, ruling with a "guardian government" up until then.[34]
In her annual live broadcast New Year's Eve address on 31 December 2023, Margrethe announced her abdication, which took place on 14 January 2024, the 52nd anniversary of her accession to the throne.[36] She said that time had taken its "toll", that her number of "ailments" had increased, and that she cannot undertake as many duties as in the past. She cited her extensive back surgery in February, and said that the operation made her reassess her position and consider "whether now would be an appropriate time to pass on the responsibility to the next generation".[37]
Margrethe's elder son, Frederik, assumed the throne asFrederik X.[38][39] Mirroring her first New Year Address in 1973, she said of the succession: "The support and assistance which I have received throughout the years, have been crucial to the success of my task. It is my hope that the new King and Queen will be met with the same trust and devotion which have fallen to my lot."[37]
Since her abdication, she has been referred to as "Her Majesty Queen Margrethe".[40][41] She is eligible to serve as regent in the event of the incapacity or absence of the King and Crown Prince Christian. As regent, Margrethe can perform the duties of the head of state on certain occasions, for example during Frederik and Christian's stays abroad.[42]
Queen Margrethe II has had a number of health issues. Since the 1990s, she has undergone several operations on her right knee due to injuries andosteoarthritis. In 1994, she was treated forcervical cancer.[43] In 2003, she underwent a four-and-a-half-hour-long operation forspinal stenosis.[44]
On 9 February 2022, the Danish court disclosed in a press release that the Queen had contractedCOVID-19.[45] On 13 February, the Queen was able to leave home isolation after having had a mild case of the virus.[46] On 21 September 2022, the Danish Royal House disclosed in a press release that Margrethe had tested positive for COVID-19 a second time after attending thestate funeral of Elizabeth II, her third cousin, in London.[47][48] She left home isolation again on 26 September and resumed her official duties immediately, stating that she felt fine.[49]
On 22 February 2023, the Queen underwent "major back surgery" atRigshospitalet due to continued back pain.[50] In a statement the following day, a representative for the Queen said that the surgery had gone well and that she had already been up for a walk.[44] She was discharged from the hospital on 2 March,[50][51] and returned from sick leave on her birthday on 16 April.
Margrethe has been achain smoker and is well known for her tobacco habit.[52] On 23 November 2006, the Danish newspaperB.T. printed an announcement from the Royal Court that the Queen would henceforth smoke only in private.[53]
Margrethe wearing her famous yellow and floral raincoat, which was sewn out of a waxy outdoor tablecloth[55][56]
Margrethe wears designs by formerPierre Balmain designer Erik Mortensen,Jørgen Bender, and Birgitte Taulow.[57] In March 2013,The Guardian listed her as one of the fifty best-dressed over-50s.[58] In connection with her 80th birthday,BritishVogue published an article calling her "An Unsung Style Heroine."[59]
A 2012 poll showed support for themonarchy in Denmark remained consistently high at around 82%, compared to less than half when she acceded to the throne in 1972.[60][61][35]
The Queen has been depicted on the annualchristmas seal twice—as a child in 1942 and following her accession to the throne in 1972.[2]
Margrethe is known for her strongarchaeological passion and has participated in severalexcavations, including in Italy, Egypt, Denmark and South America.[63] She shared this interest with her grandfather,Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden, with whom she spent some time unearthingartefacts nearEtruria in 1962.[60]
Since the 1970s, Margrethe has designed and embroidered several vestments and church textiles for churches in Denmark, Greenland, Germany and England.[64] She has designed achasuble forFredensborg Palace Church which was since embroidered by her mother, Queen Ingrid, andappliquéd by her sister, Princess Benedikte. The textile was presented to the church on its 250th anniversary in 1976. In 1989, Margrethe designed the bishop's robe for theDiocese of Viborg. In 2017, she designed theantependium for theAll Saints' Church, Wittenberg, Germany. In 2020, she designed the chasuble for theDanish Church of St Katharine in theLondon Borough of Camden.[65]
In addition to the church textiles, Margrethe has various other things, including an altarpiece for Skei Mountain Church in Norway, a Christmas spoon, the annual Danish Christmas seals in 1970, 2003 and 2015, and Greenland's Christmas seal in 1983.[66]
Since the mid-1970s, Margrethe has been using thedécoupage technique, which involves combining clippings from periodicals and books for new motifs. This technique is used in auction catalogues, home magazines, and furniture decorations. The découpage often references literary, mythological, or art-historical topics, and is often displayed in royal palaces, particularly Christian VII's Palace at Amalienborg. Sealed with a protective lacquer, the Queen's découpage works generally have references to literary, mythological or art-historical topics.[67]
Margrethe's découpage works have also been used in various books and films, including Prince Henrik's poetry collectionsCantabile (2000) andFrihjul (2010).[67] Eighty-one découpages she designed were the basis for the sets of the 2023 filmEhrengard: The Art of Seduction.[68][69]
As a child, Margrethe preferred drawing rather than needlework, but since 1960, numerous embroideries have been presented as gifts or used in the Queen's own rooms. The embroideries are made from patterns that Margrethe herself creates on graph paper, which includes twining shapes and the recipient's monogram. The Queen has designed several embroideries for the Danish Handcraft Guild, including patterns for calendars, cushion covers and dinner mats. Margrethe has also designed evening bags and spectacle cases for friends and family members, including Christmas calendars for all of the grandchildren, cushion covers and furniture covers for the palaces, and fireplace screens for Fredensborg Palace.[70]
The Queen's private embroideries were exhibited at Koldinghus Castle in 2021.[70]
The Queen has worked as a screenwriter alongside Per Brink Abrahamsen on the twoHans Christian Andersen adaptationsThe Snow Queen [da] from 2000 andThe Wild Swans [da] from 2009. Additionally, she narrated the former and made an uncredited acting cameo as a "member of the mob" in the latter.
Usingdecoupage as her primary craft, she has also been a set designer for:
Margrethe's royal monogram (left) and her personal monogram (right)
In 2004, Margrethe designed the official monogram of her second cousin twice removed,Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway.[72] She has also designed her own personal monogram; the personal monograms of her sonFrederik X, daughter-in-lawMary and grandsonChristian; as well as the joint monograms of the Danish Crown Prince couple as well as the Norwegian Crown Prince couple, her godsonHaakon, Crown Prince of Norway, and his wifeMette-Marit.
Over the years, Margrethe has become involved in ballet as a scenographer and costume designer.[73] She designed the costumes for theRoyal Danish Ballet's production ofA Folk Tale and for the 2009Peter Flinth film,De vilde svaner (The Wild Swans).[3][74] She also designs her own clothes and is known for her colourful and sometimes eccentric clothing choices. The Queen designed 51 costumes for the 2023 filmEhrengard: The Art of Seduction as well as 81 découpages that were the basis for the sets.[68][69]
Margrethe has designed sets and costumes for numerous ballets. Since 2001, she has worked with theTivoli Ballet Theatre:[75]
Margrethe is an accomplished painter and has exhibited many of her works over the years.[77] In 2000, she illustrated Prince Henrik's poetry collectionCantabile. Under the titleFrom mountains to coast, she and her close friend,Queen Sonja of Norway, exhibited selected works inspired by nature at theBarony Rosendal in 2015.
Under the pseudonymIngahild Grathmer (the latter being an anagram for Margrethe and the former made up of her secondary namesIngrid,Alexandrine and Þórhildur), her illustrations were used for Danish editions ofThe Lord of the Rings, which she was encouraged to illustrate in the early 1970s.[78] She sent them toJ. R. R. Tolkien, who was struck by the similarity of her drawings to his own style.[79]
^Hindø, Lone; Boelskifte, Else (2007).Kongelig Dåb. Fjorten generationer ved Rosenborg-døbefonten [Royal Baptisms. Fourteen generations at the Rosenborg baptismal font] (in Danish). Forlaget Hovedland. p. 113-116.ISBN978-87-7070-014-6.
^"Christian X".Archived from the original on 20 November 2018. Retrieved14 January 2024.
^"Princess Margrethe, who is fifteen and is heir presumptive to the Danish throne, is to study for a year in England at North Foreland Lodge, a girls' boarding school near Basingstoke, in Hampshire...".The Illustrated London News. Vol. 227, no. 2. 1955. p. 552.
^"Marselisborg Slot" [Marselisborg Castle].Kongehuset.dk (in Danish). 20 December 2011.Archived from the original on 16 April 2021. Retrieved16 April 2021.
^"Graasten Slot" [Graasten Castle].Kongehuset.dk (in Danish). 20 December 2011.Archived from the original on 16 April 2021. Retrieved16 April 2021.
^"Margrethe skruer ned for røgen".bt.dk. 26 November 2006. Archived from the original on 16 October 2007. Retrieved7 May 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^"Fálkaorðuhafar" [Holders of the Commander's Cross]. The President of Iceland. Archived fromthe original on 20 December 2014. Retrieved11 December 2014.
^"Apdovanojimai" [Awards Database]. President of the Republic of Lithuania. Archived fromthe original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved11 December 2014.
^Higgins, Anthony K. (2010)."Catalogue of place names in northern East Greenland"(PDF).Exploration history and place names of northern East Greenland. Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland. p. 158.Archived(PDF) from the original on 18 May 2018. Retrieved22 August 2019.
Bloch Skipper, Jon (2008).Tre søstre: samtaler mellem dronning Margrethe, prinsesse Benedikte og dronning Anne-Marie [Three sisters: conversations between Queen Margrethe, Princess Benedikte and Queen Anne-Marie] (in Danish). Copenhagen: Lindhardt og Ringhof.ISBN978-87-11-30060-2.
Bramsen, Bo (1992).Huset Glücksborg. Europas svigerfader og hans efterslægt [The House of Glücksburg. The Father-in-law of Europe and his descendants] (in Danish) (2nd ed.). Copenhagen: Forlaget Forum.ISBN87-553-1843-6.
Fabricius Møller, Jes (2013).Dynastiet Glücksborg, en Danmarkshistorie [The Glücksborg Dynasty, a history of Denmark] (in Danish). Copenhagen: Gad.ISBN978-87-12-04841-1.
Lerche, Anna; Mandal, Marcus (2003).A royal family: the story of Christian IX and his European descendants. Copenhagen: Aschehoug.ISBN978-87-15-10957-7.
Rubinstein, Mogens (1996).Dronning Margrethe II, 25 år som regent (in Danish).Copenhagen: Møntergården.ISBN87-7553-552-1.
Scocozza, Benito (1997). "Margrethe 2.".Politikens bog om danske monarker [Politiken's book about Danish monarchs] (in Danish). Copenhagen: Politikens Forlag. pp. 204–209.ISBN87-567-5772-7.
1 Also princess of Norway 2 Also princess of Greece 3 Also princess of Iceland 4 Not Danish princess by birth, but created princess of Denmark Princesses that lost their title are shown in italics
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