Margrethe II facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Margrethe II
Margrethe II in 2012
Queen of Denmark
Reign	14 January 1972 – 14 January 2024
Predecessor	Frederik IX
Successor	Frederik X
Born	(1940-04-16) 16 April 1940 (age 84) Amalienborg, Copenhagen, Denmark
Spouse	Henri de Laborde de Monpezat ​ ​ (m. 1967; died 2018)​
Issue Detail	Frederik X Prince Joachim
Full name Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid
House	Glücksburg
Father	Frederik IX of Denmark
Mother	Ingrid of Sweden
Religion	Church of Denmark
Signature

Margrethe II (Danish: [mɑˈkʁeˀtə]; Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, born 16 April 1940) is a member of the Danish royal family who reigned as Queen of Denmark from 14 January 1972 until her abdication on 14 January 2024. Having reigned for exactly 52 years, she was the second-longest reigning Danish monarch after Christian IV.

Margrethe was born into the House of Glücksburg, a cadet branch of the House of Oldenburg, during the reign of her paternal grandfather, King Christian X. She is the eldest child of King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid. She became heir presumptive to her father in 1953, when a constitutional amendment allowed women to inherit the throne. In 1967, she married Henri de Laborde de Monpezat, with whom she had two sons, Frederik and Joachim. Margrethe succeeded her father upon his death in January 1972.

Margrethe has worked as a scenographer, a costume designer, and an illustrator of works by J. R. R. Tolkien. Support for the monarchy in Denmark, alongside her personal popularity, gradually rose throughout the course of her reign, attaining around eighty percent by the time of her abdication. She was succeeded by her elder son, Frederik X.

Early life and education

Margrethe (left) with her parents and sisters, 1954

Margrethe was born as a Princess of Denmark on 16 April 1940 at 10:10 CET at Frederik VIII's Palace, in her parents' residence at Amalienborg, the principal residence of the Danish royal family in the district of Frederiksstaden in central Copenhagen. She was the first child of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess (later King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid). Her father was the elder son of the then-reigning King Christian X, while her mother was the only daughter of the then Crown Prince of Sweden (who would later reign as King Gustaf VI Adolf). Her birth took place just one week after Nazi Germany's invasion of Denmark on 9 April 1940.

Margrethe was baptised on 14 May in the Holmen Church in Copenhagen. Her godparents were her grandfathers, King Christian X of Denmark and the then Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden; her maternal great-grandfathers, King Gustaf V of Sweden and Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn; her uncles, Prince Knud of Denmark and Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten; as well as her first cousin twice removed, Prince Axel of Denmark. She was named Margrethe – the Danish variation of her late maternal grandmother Crown Princess Margareta of Sweden's name – Alexandrine after her paternal grandmother, Queen Alexandrine, and Ingrid after her mother. Since her paternal grandfather was also King of Iceland at the time of her birth, she was given the Icelandic name Þórhildur. Like her maternal grandmother, Margrethe is known affectionately as "Daisy" to her family and close friends.

The birth of her younger sisters Benedikte and Anne-Marie followed in 1944 and 1946 respectively. Margrethe and her sisters grew up in apartments at Frederik VIII's Palace at Amalienborg in Copenhagen and in Fredensborg Palace in North Zealand. She spent summer holidays with the royal family in her parents' summer residence at Gråsten Palace in Southern Jutland. On 20 April 1947, following the death of King Christian X, Margrethe's father ascended the throne as King Frederik IX.

Education

Margrethe was educated at the private school N. Zahle's School in Copenhagen, from which she graduated in 1959. She spent a year at North Foreland Lodge, a boarding school for girls in Hampshire, England, and later studied prehistoric archaeology at Girton College, Cambridge, during 1960–1961, political science at Aarhus University between 1961 and 1962, attended the Sorbonne in 1963, and was at the London School of Economics in 1965. She is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London.

Margrethe is fluent in Danish, French, English, Swedish and German, and has a limited knowledge of Faroese.

Heir presumptive

Princess Margrethe in August 1966

At the time of her birth, only males could ascend the throne of Denmark, owing to the changes in succession laws enacted in the 1850s when the Glücksburg branch was chosen to succeed. As Margrethe had no brothers, it was assumed that her uncle Prince Knud would one day assume the throne.

The process of changing the constitution started in 1947, not long after Margrethe's father ascended 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 successive Parliaments and then by a referendum, which occurred on 27 March 1953. The new Act of Succession permitted female succession to the throne of Denmark, according to male-preference cognatic primogeniture, where a female can ascend to the throne only if she does not have a brother. Princess Margrethe therefore became heir presumptive. In 2009, the law of succession was modified into absolute primogeniture.

Margrethe attended the traditional New Year Courts for the first time in 1956. On her eighteenth birthday, 16 April 1958, Margrethe was given a seat in the Council of State. She subsequently chaired the meetings of the Council in the absence of the King. In 1960, together with her first cousin, Princess Margaretha of Sweden, and Princess Astrid of Norway, she travelled to the United States, which included a visit to Los Angeles, and to the Paramount Studios, where they met several celebrities, including Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis and Elvis Presley.

She paid her first visit to the Faroe Islands in 1959, alongside her parents and sisters, and to Greenland in 1960.

Marriage and family

Margrethe and Henri in 1966

While Margrethe studied in London, she met the French diplomat, Henri de Laborde de Monpezat, who was legation secretary at the French Embassy in London. Their engagement was announced on 5 October 1966. They were married on 10 June 1967, at the Holmen Church in Copenhagen, and the wedding reception was held at Fredensborg Palace. 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. They were married for over fifty years, until his death on 13 February 2018.

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 son Frederik. The following year, a second child, named Joachim, was born on 7 June 1969.

In 1974, she and Henrik purchased Château de Cayx in the wine district of Cahors in Southern France.

Margrethe announced in 2008 that her male-line descendants would bear the additional title of Count or Countess of Monpezat in recognition of her husband's ancestry.

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". 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, after which Margrethe released a statement in which she said that it saddened her that she had upset Joachim's family.

Along with her late husband, Margrethe has kept dachshunds since the 1970s. She currently has one dog, the dachshund Tilia, who was Prince Henrik's dog until his death in 2018.

Reign

Accession

Margrethe (centre-right) seated with her cousin, then-crown prince Carl Gustaf of Sweden, at the 90th birthday celebration of Gustaf VI Adolf, November 1972

Shortly after King Frederik IX delivered his New Year's Address to the Nation at the 1971/72 turn of the year, he fell ill, and died 14 days later on 14 January 1972. Margrethe succeeded 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 of Christiansborg Palace the following day by Prime Minister Jens Otto Krag. She chose to be known as Margrethe II — the regnal number taken in recognition of the 14th century Danish regent, Margrethe, who was publicly known as "Queen Margrethe" despite never being crowned.

The Queen chose the motto: "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 to Denmark, hence her style "By the Grace of God, Queen of Denmark" (Danish: Margrethe den Anden, af Guds Nåde Danmarks Dronning).

Constitutional role

Margrethe hosting Russian President Dmitry 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 performs the latter by opening exhibitions, attending anniversaries and inaugurating bridges, among other things. She receives 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.

The Queen held a meeting with the prime minister and the foreign affairs minister every Wednesday, unless either she or the prime minister was outside of the kingdom.

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 the Danish political parties.

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 liberal Det 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 the Folketing, 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, it was formally appointed by the Queen. Officially, it was the Queen who was the head 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 the Cabinet of Denmark.

It was customary for Margrethe as the Danish monarch to host annual New Year levées. Every year on 1 January, a banquet was held for the government, the Speaker of the Danish Parliament, representatives of official Denmark and the Royal Court at Christian VIII's Palace at Amalienborg. On day two, a levée was held at Christian VIII's Palace for the justices of Supreme Court of Denmark and the Officer Corps of The Royal Life Guards and The Guard Hussar Regiment, followed by a levée at Christiansborg Palace for the diplomatic corps. On day three, a levée was held for officers from the Defence and the Danish Emergency Management Agency, the I., II. and III. ranking classes as well as invited representatives of major national organisations and the royal patronages.

Official duties

Margrethe surrounded by her family waving to crowds on her 70th birthday in April 2010

Up to the end of her reign, Margrethe held 72 Danish and 8 foreign patronages as queen, including Aarhus Festuge, ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum, DaneAge Association, Danes Worldwide, the Danish Animal Welfare Society [da], the Danish Cancer Society [da], Den Gamle By, Det Classenske Fideicommis, the Danish Bible Society [da], Det Kongelige Vajsenhus, Diakonissestiftelsen, Foreningen Norden, Land of Legends (Sagnlandet Lejre), M/S Maritime Museum of Denmark, Moesgaard Museum, National Olympic Committee and Sports Confederation of Denmark, Nyborg Slot, Rebild National Park, the Royal Danish Academy of Music, Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters, Royal Danish Yacht Club, Rungstedlund Foundation [da], Sankt Lukas Stiftelsen, Vallø stift and Vemmetofte.

A pillar of her reign was an intricate knowledge of and connection to all parts of the Danish Realm. In 2016, she contributed to a book about Denmark's history.

Until her abdication, Margrethe served as colonel-in-chief of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, an infantry regiment of the British Army, following a tradition dating back to 1906 when Edward VII, married to Alexandra of Denmark, appointed his brother-in-law, Frederik VIII of Denmark, colonel-in-chief of the then Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment).

As sovereign, Margrethe received 42 official state visits and she undertook 55 foreign state visits herself. She and the royal family have made several other foreign visits.

Residences

As queen, her official residences were Amalienborg (where she resides at Christian IX's Palace) in Copenhagen and Fredensborg Palace near Hillerød. Her summer residences were Marselisborg Palace near Aarhus and Gråsten Palace near Sønderborg, the former home of her mother, Queen Ingrid, who died in 2000.

Immigration debate

The term "cocky remarks" (dumsmarte bemærkninger, lit. dumb-slick remarks) has since become an integrated part of the Danish vocabulary.

In an interview within the 2016 book De dybeste rødder (The Deepest Roots), according to historians at the Saxo Institute of the University 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 of Danish 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.

Silver, Ruby and Golden Jubilees

Faroese stamps marking the Queen's silver jubilee in 1997 and her ruby jubilee in 2012

Margrethe marked her Silver Jubilee in 1997 with a religious service and a gala dinner attended by fellow Scandinavian royals. She celebrated her Ruby Jubilee, the 40th year on the throne, on 14 January 2012. This was marked by a church service, concert, carriage procession, gala banquet at Christiansborg Palace and numerous TV interviews.

The Queen's Golden Jubilee was marked on 14 January 2022, with celebrations to take place later in the year. In September, following the death 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.

Between Elizabeth II's death and her abdication, Margrethe was Europe's longest-reigning monarch, the world's only queen regnant, and the longest-serving incumbent female head of state.

Sitting reign record

In July 2023, the Danish Royal House recognized Margrethe II as Denmark's longest reigning sitting monarch. Though Christian IV reigned for over 59 years between 1588 and 1648, he was not officially installed until 1596, ruling with a "guardian government" up until then.

Abdication

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. 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 2023, 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".

Margrethe's elder son, Frederik, assumed the throne as Frederik X. 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."

Since her abdication, Margrethe has been referred to as "Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II" or "Her Majesty Queen Margrethe". Margrethe 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.

Health

Queen Margrethe has had a number of health issues. During the 1990s and early 2000s, she underwent several operations on her right knee due to injuries and osteoarthritis. In 1994, she was treated for cervical cancer. In 2003, she underwent a 4.5 hour long operation for spinal stenosis.

On 9 February 2022, the Danish court disclosed in a press release that the Queen had contracted COVID-19. On 13 February, the Queen could leave home isolation after having had a mild case of the virus. On 21 September 2022, the Danish Royal House disclosed in a press release that Margrethe had again contracted COVID-19, after attending the state funeral of Elizabeth II, her third cousin, in London. She left home isolation on 26 September and resumed her official duties immediately, stating that she felt fine.

On 22 February 2023, the Queen underwent "major back surgery" at Rigshospitalet due to continued back pain. 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. She was discharged from the hospital on 2 March, and returned from sick leave on her birthday on 16 April.

Henrik lighting a cigarette for Margrethe, 1966

Margrethe has been a chain smoker and is well known for her tobacco habit. On 23 November 2006, the Danish newspaper B.T. printed an announcement from the Royal Court that the Queen would henceforth smoke only in private. She has not smoked since her spinal surgery in February 2023.

Personal interests

Archaeology

Margrethe is known for her strong archaeological passion and has participated in several excavations, including in Italy, Egypt, Denmark and South America. She shared this interest with her grandfather, Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden, with whom she spent some time unearthing artefacts near Etruria in 1962.

Church textiles

Since the 1970s, Margrethe has designed and embroidered several vestments and church textiles for churches in Denmark, Greenland, Germany and England. She has designed a chasuble for Fredensborg Palace Church which was since embroidered by her mother, Queen Ingrid, and appliquéd 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 the Diocese of Viborg. In 2017, she designed the antependium for the All Saints' Church in Wittenberg, Germany. In 2020, she designed the chasuble for the Danish Church of St Katharine in Camden, London.

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.

Découpage

Since the mid-1970s, Margrethe has been using the découpage 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.

Margrethe's découpage works have also been used in various books and films, including Prince Henrik's poetry collections Cantabile (2000) and Frihjul (2010).

Embroidery

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.

The Queen's private embroideries were exhibited at Koldinghus Castle in 2021.

Films

The Queen has worked as a screenwriter alongside Per Brink Abrahamsen on the two Hans Christian Andersen adaptations The Snow Queen [da] from 2000 and The 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.

Monograms

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. She has also designed her own personal monogram; the personal monograms of her son Frederik, daughter-in-law Mary and grandson Christian; as well as the joint monograms of the Danish Crown Prince couple as well as the Norwegian Crown Prince couple, her godson, Haakon, and his wife, Mette-Marit.

Scenography and costume design

Over the years, Margrethe has become involved in ballet as a scenographer and costume designer. She designed the costumes for the Royal Danish Ballet's production of A Folk Tale and for the 2009 Peter Flinth film, De vilde svaner (The Wild Swans). She also designs her own clothes and is known for her colourful and sometimes eccentric clothing choices.

Margrethe has designed sets and costumes for numerous ballets. Since 2001, she has worked with the Tivoli Ballet Theatre:

• 1991: A Folk Tale, Royal Danish Theatre
• 2005 & 2011: Thumbelina, Pantomimeteatret
• 2007, 2013 & 2018: The Tinderbox, Pantomimeteatret
• 2009: The Swineherd, Pantomimeteatret
• 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018 & 2022: The Nutcracker, Tivoli Concert Hall
• 2013: The Steadfast Tin Soldier, Pantomimeteatret
• 2016: Cinderella, Pantomimeteatret
• 2019, 2021 & 2023: The Snow Queen, Tivoli Concert Hall

Visual art

Margrethe is an accomplished painter and has exhibited many of her works over the years. In 2000, she illustrated Prince Henrik's poetry collection Cantabile. Under the title From mountains to coast, she and her close friend, Queen Sonja of Norway, exhibited selected works inspired by nature at the Barony Rosendal in 2015.

Under the pseudonym Ingahild Grathmer (the latter being an anagram for Margrethe and the former made up of her secondary names Ingrid, Alexandrine and Þórhildur), her illustrations were used for Danish editions of The Lord of the Rings, which she was encouraged to illustrate in the early 1970s. She sent them to J. R. R. Tolkien, who was struck by the similarity of her drawings to his own style. Margrethe's drawings were redrawn by the British artist Eric Fraser for the Folio Society's English edition of The Lord of the Rings, first published in 1977 and reissued in 2002.

Honours

National

•  Denmark:
  • 20 April 1947: Knight of the Order of the Elephant (R.E.)
    • 14 January 1972 – 14 January 2024: Sovereign of the Order of the Elephant
  • 14 January 1972: Grand Commander of the Order of the Dannebrog (S.Kmd.)
    • 14 January 1972 – 14 January 2024: Sovereign of the Order of the Dannebrog
  • Knight of the Decoration of the Cross of Honour of the Dannebrog (D.Ht.)
  • Homeguard Medal of Merit
  • 25 years of Homeguard Service Medal
  • Medal of Honour of the League of Civil Defence
  • Medal of Honour of the Reserve Officers League
  • 100th Anniversary Medal of the Birth of King Christian X
  • 50th Anniversary Medal of the arrival of Queen Ingrid to Denmark
  • 100th Anniversary Medal of the Birth of King Frederik IX
  • Queen Ingrid Commemorative Medal
•  Greenland:
  • Nersornaat Medal for Meritorious Service, 1st Class

Foreign

Awards

• 2004: The Hans Christian Andersen Award Committee's Honorary Award
• 2022: Foreningen Norden's Nordic Language Prize
• 2024: Robert Award for Best Costume Design at the 41st Robert Awards
• 2024: Association for Book Crafts' [da] Honorary Award

Honorific eponyms

Awards

•  Denmark: Queen Margrethe II's Science Award [da] (2015)

Geographic locations

•  Denmark: The Queen's Boulevard [da] (1979)
•  Greenland: Queen Margrethe II Land in Northeast Greenland was named in her honour on 16 April 1990 on the occasion of her 50th birthday

Objects

•  Denmark: The Margrethe Bowl [da] designed by her uncle, Sigvard Bernadotte, for Rosti [da] in 1947

Structures

•  Denmark: Margrethe's Church [da] in Valby (1968)

Honorary military appointments

• 1972–1992: Colonel-in-Chief of the Queen's Regiment
• 1992–1997: Allied Colonel-in-Chief (with Diana, Princess of Wales) of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment
• 1997–2024: Colonel-in-Chief of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment

See also

In Spanish: Margarita II de Dinamarca para niños

In Spanish: Margarita II de Dinamarca para niños

• Descendants of Christian IX of Denmark – Lists other members of European royalty who share a common ancestor with Margrethe II
• List of monarchs who abdicated
• Monarchy of Denmark