While Britain celebrates 60 years of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign in 2012, Denmark also marks a royal jubilee this year when Queen Margrethe reaches her 40th year as Head of State.
Margrethe II is only the fourth monarch in Denmark’s over one-thousand-year-old royal history to reach the 40 year landmark. To mark the occasion, several events are taking place during January, culminating on the 14th of January when the Royal Family parades through the streets of Copenhagen in horse-drawn coaches, escorted by the Royal Horse Guard.
Margrethe II, Denmark’s Artist Queen
Margrethe Alexandrine Þorhildur Ingrid was born on 16 April 1940, just a week after the German invasion of Denmark, the first daughter of King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid. She was later joined by two younger sisters, Benedikte and Anne-Marie. Princess Margrethe spent her early years studying at Zahles School, as well as being privately educated at the palace. Later, she continued her education, studying philosophy at Copenhagen University, archaeology at the University of Cambridge, political science at Aarhus University, as well as doing some time at the Sorbonne and the London School of Economics. The queen has to be one of the best-educated monarchs today.
Princess Margrethe married the French diplomat Henri Marie Jean André Count de Laborde de Monpezat in 1967 at Holmen Church in Denmark. In accordance with Danish custom, her husband took the name Prince Henrik after the marriage and set to work learning the Danish language. The Queen and her consort have two sons, Prince Frederik born in 1968 and Prince Joachim, born in 1969.
King Frederik IX passed away in January 1972. By this time, the laws of succession had been changed in Denmark, allowing women to ascend the throne. Princess Margrethe therefore became Queen Margrethe II on 14 January 1972.
The Queen is a popular figure in Denmark, respected for her independence, artistic ability and charitable works. She has held many art exhibitions over the years, illustrated the Danish edition of The Lord of the Rings and designed the costumes for the 2009 film, The Wild Swans. She is fluent in French, Swedish, English and German as well as Danish.
In addition to being an accomplished artist, the Queen is also well known for a cigarette habit that has sometimes gotten her in hot water with the press. It is not unheard of for Danes to smoke, but the habit has fallen in disrepute recently and campaigns, similar to those in America, have been launched to educate the public on the dangers of smoking. When Denmark passed strict regulations on smoking in public places, the Queen made the startling announcement that she would no longer smoke in public, although she still indulges in the habit in private.
Celebrations to Mark Queen Margrethe’s 40 Year Jubilee
Some events for the Queen’s 40 year jubilee have already taken place. On 10 January, Princes Frederik and Joachim attended a session of Parliament followed by a reception celebrating the Queen. The Queen and her consort also took part in a press conference on the 10th of January, followed by a photo session.
On the 11th of January, the Queen and Prince Henrik attended and officially opened an exhibition called ‘Regent for 40 Years – Queen Margrethe 1972-2012’ at Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerød. Later that day, their sons attended the opening of an exhibition at the Amalienborg Museum and a royal gala. On display at the museum are formal dresses worn by the Queen dating from the 1960s to the present.
On the 14th of January, the anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne, the royal family will take a special train to Roskilde Cathedral where they will lay wreaths on the graves of King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid. Later that afternoon, they will leave Amalienborg Palace in horse drawn coaches, taking a tour of Copenhagen, ending at the City Hall where there is a reception taking place to honour the Queen. In the evening, the royal couple will attend a gala concert at the DR Concert Hall.
On Sunday, 15 January, the royal family will make an appearance on the balcony of Amalienborg Palace during the Changing of the Guards at noon. They will then attend a special church service.
In addition to the events taking place over the anniversary of the Queen’s ascension to the throne, there will also be an opportunity for the public to see examples of her artwork at the Arken Museum of Modern Art. The exhibition, called ‘Colour Soul – Queen Margrethe II’s Art’ runs from 28 January to 1 July 2012.
While Queen Margrethe may have only spent 40 years on the throne in comparison with Queen Elizabeth’s 60, the Danes are eager to celebrate their popular, artistic and tobacco-loving queen in 2012.
Sources
- Kongehuset, the Official website for the Danish Monarchy
- Arken Museum of Modern Art official website
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