Queen Margrethe of Denmark has announced that her reign will end in January 2024. She is scheduled to abdicate her throne on January 14, 2024, the 52nd anniversary of her accession to the throne. Even though she was born without her inheritance, she became one of the most successful and popular monarchs in the country’s history. Queen Denmark changed her country and the monarchy forever.
Born Margrethe Alexandrine Thorhildur Ingrid on April 16, 1940, Margrethe was the first child of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Ingrid (later King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid). She was followed by two sisters, Princess Benedict in 1944 and Princess Anne-Marie (later Queen Anne-Marie of Greece) in 1946.
At the time of her birth, women were prohibited from inheriting the throne, and it was expected that her uncle, Prince Knud, would succeed her father. However, upon his accession to the throne in 1947, Frederick IX supported changes to the succession law. It took two parliaments and a referendum to pass the law, but the motion was passed due to the popularity of the King and his family. In 1953, Princess Margrethe officially became her father’s heir presumptive.
to her 18 year oldth On her birthday in 1958, Princess Margrethe was given a seat in the Council of State, allowing her to assume leadership in her father’s absence. She was educated at her N. Saar school in Copenhagen, from which she graduated in 1959. She studied at various universities in the 1960s, including Girton College, Cambridge, where she studied prehistoric archeology. She studied political science at Aarhus University. She is a graduate of Sorbonne University and the London School of Economics.
She met her future husband while studying at the London School of Economics. At a spring party in 1965, Princess Margrethe met Henri de Montpezat, a young French diplomat who was working as an embassy clerk at the French Embassy.
She later said of the encounter: He was just a young man I met from time to time, and in fact I believe it was he who noticed me and not the other way around. ”
The two met again a year later at a wedding in Scotland, and this second encounter seemed to have left an indelible impression. They met again on their way back to London and went to dinner at the Four Hundred Club. Margrethe admitted that she was in love with him.
The two dated throughout the fall, got engaged in October 1966, and married on June 10, 1967 at Holmens Church in Denmark, with a reception at Fredensborg Palace. After their marriage, Henry became Prince Henrik of Denmark, and although their relationship was rocky at times, they remained married until his death on February 13, 2018.
Princess Margrethe gave birth to her first child, a son, Frédéric André Henrik Christian, on May 26, 1968. Her second son, Joachim Holger Waldemar Christian, was born on June 7, 1969. Both of her sons are currently married: Crown Prince Frederick and Crown Princess Mary. , four children and Prince Joachim first had two sons with Alexandra Manley and now has a son and daughter with Princess Marie.
Margrethe succeeded her father, the ailing King Frederik IX, on January 14, 1972, and was proclaimed queen from the balcony of Christiansborg Palace the next day. She is the second queen in Danish history, following Margrethe I, who reigned from 1375 to 1412.
In her first speech to the Danish people, she said: “My beloved father, our king, has passed away. The mission he carried for nearly 25 years now rests on my shoulders. I ask that you give me the help and strength to carry this heavy legacy. I pray to God that the same trust that was given to my father may be given to me as well.”
Tradition in the Danish monarchy is for the monarch to alternate between the titles Frederick and Christian. Margrethe considered herself a Christian between Frederick IX and his son.
Queen Margrethe’s motto is “God’s help, the love of the people, the strength of Denmark.”
The Queen’s role is primarily ceremonial, but includes welcoming ambassadors, presenting awards, and attending events in Denmark and around the world. In addition to her royal duties, Queen Margrethe is very creative and she regularly contributes to Danish art.
She illustrated the Danish version Lord of the Ring Under the pen name Ingahild Glasmer, her illustrations were used as the basis for the British version. She has also illustrated other books, including her husband’s collection of poems. Queen Margrethe also designs costumes for her plays and ballets, as well as her own costumes.
Queen Margrethe celebrated her Golden Jubilee in 2022, by which time she was already the second-longest reigning Danish monarch after King Christian IV, who reigned for 60 years.
Queen Margrethe II announced her plans to abdicate on December 31, 2023, and will step down on January 14, 2024. Her throne would be succeeded by her eldest son Frederick X.