- Queen Margrethe II of Denmark will step down as Europe’s longest-reigning monarch at the age of 83.
- The Queen of Denmark, known as the “Ashtray Queen,” inherited that title after Elizabeth II’s death.
- Although Margrethe’s abdication set her apart from Elizabeth, the two had many things in common. please look.
When Queen Elizabeth II died, her role as Europe’s longest-reigning monarch was succeeded by her distant cousin, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.
Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8th at the age of 96. She achieved several unofficial royal titles during her 70-year reign, including longest living monarch.
Brunei’s Hassanal Bolkiah, who has ruled for nearly 55 years, is now the world’s longest-reigning living monarch, according to the Daily Mail. But particularly in Europe, the Queen’s distant cousin, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, is currently the longest-reigning monarch in her lifetime.
Tatler said the queen and Margrethe, 83, were cousins and related through Queen Victoria. But they weren’t just relatives, they were friends. According to The Independent, the Queen of Denmark became the first international royal to send a letter of condolence to Charles III.
“I send my warm thoughts and prayers to you and Camila,” Margrethe said, according to the newspaper. “She was an outstanding figure among European monarchs and a great inspiration to us all. We will miss her very much.”
However, Margrethe announced her abdication on December 31, 2023, marking the end of her term as the longest-lived current monarch.
Margrethe announced in her annual New Year’s Eve speech that she would be stepping down after 52 years on the Danish throne.
Margrethe told viewers that her son, Crown Prince Frederik, would begin to rule following her formal abdication on January 14. The Queen said she came to the decision after she underwent “major back surgery” in February 2023.
“Inevitably, this operation caused me to think about the future and whether now is the right time to hand over responsibility to the next generation,” she said. “We decided now was the right time.”
Margrethe’s abdication marks a departure from Elizabeth, who ruled Britain until her death. But otherwise, the queens had much in common in life, both as rulers and as people. Please look.
Like many British queens, Margrethe became queen at a young age. She inherited her title after her father, Frederick IX, died at the age of 32.
In 1952, when Elizabeth II was only 25 years old, her father, George VI, died, making her the new monarch of the United Kingdom. Her official coronation as Queen took place at Westminster Abbey in 1953.
Meanwhile, Margrethe also became queen at a young age. In 1972, her father, Frederick IX, died of complications from pneumonia. According to the New York Times, she was 32 years old and his eldest daughter, after which she ascended the throne.
In an interview with ITV in May, Margrethe said she admired Queen Elizabeth II growing up.
“I wish I hadn’t been so young when my father died. That made a big impression on me. The fact that she was devoting her life to it. I didn’t understand what that meant. “I did,” Margrethe said. “That’s the point of my life, and I know she understands that too.”
Elizabeth and Margrethe had a love story that spanned decades.
Elizabeth married Prince Philip, whom she met as a child, in 1936 while still a princess. From their wedding in 1947 until Prince Philip’s death at the age of 99 in April 2021, the couple remained close to each other.
Similarly, Margrethe’s love story with her husband, the late Prince Henrik of Denmark, spanned decades. The couple first met at a dinner party in London in 1965, when Margrethe was studying economics at university, Royal Central reported. The two were married for 50 years until Henrik passed away in 2018 at the age of 83.
Both queens married men who struggled to live in their wives’ shadows, but Margrethe’s husband was more outspoken in his desire for equality.
At the beginning of his wife’s reign, Prince Philip reportedly struggled to adapt to his role as Crown Prince Consort. According to The Atlantic’s Helen Lewis, Philip felt so eviscerated that he described himself as just an “amoeba” in his wife’s shadow. However, as her life continued, he seemed to have grown accustomed to her role as her closest friend and never outwardly expressed her dislike for his own role.
The same cannot be said about Prince Henrik. Margrethe wanted to be a king, not a prince’s consort, but when Margrethe had her son represent her in her place at royal events, she felt “sidelined, degraded and humiliated.” “I felt that way,” the BBC reported.
Henrik was so bitter about being in his wife’s shadow that he told Danish magazine Se og Hall in 2017 that he did not want to be buried with her, People magazine reported. Reported. “If she wants to bury me with her, she has to make me queen,” Henrik said, according to People magazine.
While Queen Elizabeth loved cocktails, Queen Margrethe is said to have been an avid smoker, which earned her the nickname “Queen of the Ashtray.”
Queen Elizabeth II reportedly drank four cocktails a day until royal chef Darren McGrady set the record in 2017. “If she drank that much, she’d be pickled,” he told Insider.
Still, McGrady said the late king enjoyed cocktails, with gin and Dubonnet being his favorites.
According to the Telegraph, Margrethe’s lifelong habit of smoking cigarettes earned her the nickname “Queen of the Ashtray.”
This happened after Swedish news outlets reported in 2001 that she had been smoking while visiting asthma patients at a nursing home and had staff follow her around with ashtrays, the Telegraph reported. But the newspaper reported that when Margrethe was asked about her smoking, she said it was “no problem”.
Both queens enjoyed pursuing their hobbies. Queen Elizabeth was an avid horse rider, while Queen Margrethe is a serious costume and set designer.
Queen Elizabeth had an affinity for horseback riding throughout her life. She rode in her saddle for the first time at the age of three and continued her riding until her death. As Insider’s Lloyd Lee previously reported, she owned as many as 100 horses a year, and she was also a competitive racehorse owner.
According to Royal Central, Queen Margrethe is also someone who pursues her passions and has a reputation as a costume and set designer. The paper reported that her work has been seen in a variety of films and stage productions, including a Netflix fantasy film.
She is also an avid illustrator and, under a pen name, became famous when her work was used in the Danish translation of “The Lord of the Rings” in the 1970s, the publication added.
Queen Margrethe and Queen Elizabeth also loved colorful and sometimes quirky costumes.
Queen Elizabeth II was known for rarely straying from her safe, reliable outfits, but she did occasionally try something more daring. From her spaghetti-like hats to her patchwork quilted dresses, she demonstrated her appreciation for bold, extravagant fashion throughout her life.
Queen Margrethe is no exception. Her love of quirky fashion has been well documented by publications such as Vogue, which named her a “Hidden Style Heroine” in 2020.
Danish designer Julie Brogger told the magazine that the Queen “doesn’t care what anyone thinks.”
“She has a dramatic vision for how you can influence the public’s perception of you through your clothes,” Broger added.
Queen Elizabeth died knowing that the throne would be passed on to her descendants. Queen Margrethe also has many family members to ensure her Danish royal heritage.
During her 70-year reign, Queen Elizabeth not only became a grandmother, but also a great-grandmother. After her death, she left eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren, one of whom, Prince George, is currently second in line to the throne.
During her reign as Queen of Denmark, Margrethe had two children and eight grandchildren, securing the future of the monarchy. Her son Frederick is scheduled to inherit the throne on January 14, and his son Christian, 16, is second in line.