Quick facts for kids Margrethe II |
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|---|---|
| Queen of Denmark | |
 |
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| Reign | 14 January 1972 – present |
| Born | 16 April 1940 |
| Birthplace | Amalienborg Palace, Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Predecessor | Frederik IX |
| Heir-Apparent | Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark |
| Consort |
Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark
(m. 1967; his death 2018) |
| Children | Frederik, Joachim |
| Royal House | House of Glücksburg |
| Royal motto | Guds hjælp, Folkets kærlighed, Danmarks styrke (The Help of God, the Love of the People, the Strength of Denmark) |
| Father | Frederik IX |
| Mother | Ingrid |
Margrethe II (Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid) (born 16 April 1940) is the Queen regnant of Denmark. Only very rarely is her name anglicized as Margaret II.
Life
Princess Margrethe was born at Amalienborg Palace, Copenhagen, to Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Ingrid. She was baptised on 14 May 1940 at the Naval Church in Copenhagen. As King Christian X of Denmark was also the King of Iceland at the time of her birth, the Princess was given an Icelandic name, Þórhildur (spelled with the Icelandic thorn character, simplified as "th").
She studied archaeology at Girton College, Cambridge in 1960-1961. She was also at the London School of Economics in 1965.
Margrethe was not born to be monarch, even though she was the eldest child of the Crown Prince, later King. At the time of her birth, only males could ascend the throne of Denmark.
The act of succession was changed in 1953.
Her father King Frederik IX died in 1972, and Queen Margrethe II became the first female Danish Sovereign.
In 2018, her husband Prince Henrik died of pneumonia in February and her first cousin Princess Elisabeth died in June.
Images for kids
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Princess Margrethe's birthplace: Frederik VIII's Palace at Amalienborg, photographed in 2006
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Princess Margrethe in 1966
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Queen Margrethe II and her consort, Prince Henrik, in 2010.
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Margrethe II of Denmark in a costume of the Faroese people. Stamp FR 302 of Postverk Føroya, Faroe Islands, issued 14 January 1997.
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The Queen surrounded by her family waving to crowds on her 70th birthday in April 2010. From left to right: the Crown Princess, Prince Felix, the Crown Prince, Prince Christian, the Queen, Prince Nikolai, Prince Consort Henrik, Prince Joachim and Princess Isabella
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Queen Margrethe II in Vágur, Faroe Islands, 21 June 2005
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Margrethe II with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva during the latter's visit to Denmark, 12 September 2007.
