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58-571: Queen Margrethe II 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 . She is also

116-663: A heart attack and was admitted to the Copenhagen Municipal Hospital . Margrethe was then designated acting regent the following day. The king died on 14 January, and 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

174-553: 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. 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 ,

232-401: A number of straight intersecting paths in a game hunting reserve. During a hunt it was permissible to shoot freely straight down the long paths, which radiated out from the centre. The dome hall measured 15 x 15 m (49 ft), and had a height of 27 m (89 ft). The sumptuous room featured stucco by C.E. Brenno and a plafond by Hendrick Krock . In front of the main building

290-504: A part of Sweden, and ended Denmark’s eleven-year participation in the Great Northern War. To commemorate the signing of the peace accord the palace was named Fredens Borg ( lit. "Peace's Castle"). The palace complex consisted of a small, almost square, 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 -storey-high main palace with dome and lanterns. It is positioned exactly at the centre of what is known as a "hunting star" ( Danish , jagtstjerne ),

348-417: 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

406-413: 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

464-475: Is now the summer residence of Frederik X and Queen Mary . The palace gardens are among Denmark's largest historical gardens, and are Denmark's finest example of a Baroque garden . These too were designed by Krieger, and were extended and altered during the 18th century. The long, straight avenues which extend from the castle in a star-shaped pattern were recreated in the 1970s to 1990s. Between these avenues lies large wooded areas with winding paths. Most of

522-700: 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 ,

580-599: 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,

638-411: The Danish political parties . 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

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696-715: 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. 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

754-542: 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

812-580: 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

870-649: 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 . 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

928-449: The guest workers and their families (...) Then we come with our 'Danish humour' and little cocky remarks. Then we meet them with coolness, and then it is not far to harassment and rougher methods – we cannot allow that. If we want the new year to be better than the old, then here is a good place to start. The term "cocky remarks" ( dumsmarte bemærkninger , lit.   ' dumb-slick remarks ' ) has since become an integrated part of

986-567: 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 ). The Queen's main tasks were to represent

1044-535: The 19th century, King Christian IX and Queen Louise (who counted Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom, King George I of Greece and Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia amongst their children) used Fredensborg to host annual family reunions. There, their grandchildren, including the future Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and Kings George V of the United Kingdom , Haakon VII of Norway , Constantine I of Greece , and Queen Maud of Norway , would play games in

1102-402: 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

1160-671: 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 the annual New Year levées . Every year on 1 January, a banquet was held for the government, the Speaker of

1218-534: 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. 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 ,

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1276-623: The Danish court disclosed in a press release that the Queen had contracted COVID-19 . On 13 February, the Queen was able to 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 tested positive for COVID-19 a second time after attending the state funeral of Elizabeth II , her third cousin, in London. She left home isolation again on 26 September and resumed her official duties immediately, stating that she felt fine. On 22 February 2023,

1334-715: The Danish newspaper B.T. printed an announcement from the Royal Court that the Queen would henceforth smoke only in private. In September 2024, she was hospitalised after falling in Fredensborg Castle . Danish royal family Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.226 via cp1108 cp1108, Varnish XID 248514337 Upstream caches: cp1108 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 10:43:30 GMT Fredensborg Palace At

1392-588: 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

1450-468: The Garden was an "exemplary redesign (...) and the combination of public and private funding for a public garden is a positive example for other similar heritage gardens". Two of the forests in the surrounding area, Gribskov and Store Dyrehave , were developed in the 1680s under King Christian V for par force hunting with a mathematically designed system of access roads. They have now been included in

1508-467: The King's 51st birthday. Krieger completed his work on the palace with the erection of the “new Court Chancery building” in 1731. The black-glazed tile, half-hipped roof building is now known as The Chancellery House. It butted up to the riding-ring on the southern edge. A major alteration of Krieger's original building was made in 1741–1744 when Lauritz de Thurah , the King's favorite architect, elevated

1566-486: The Kingdom abroad and to be a unifying figure at home. She performed the latter by opening exhibitions, attending anniversaries and inaugurating bridges, among other things. She received 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

1624-655: The Queen addressed the xenophobia experienced by many immigrants in Denmark: We have the peace, the free political life and social relations that make our country a sought-after haven for many. Refugees from very different backgrounds come here, sometimes injured in both mind and body. We welcome them and are probably also a little proud that they have chosen our little paradise, but when we see them fumbling with our way of life and our language, hospitality becomes difficult all too quickly, and disappointment sets in on both sides. There are also others who have felt that, namely

1682-441: 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. Margrethe has been a chain smoker and is well known for her tobacco habit. On 23 November 2006,

1740-687: 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. 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

1798-399: The actual construction was General Building Master Johan Conrad Ernst , who was also responsible for the construction of Frederiksberg Palace . While the building was still under construction Denmark–Norway and Sweden negotiated a peace treaty, which was signed on 3 July 1720, on the site of the unfinished palace. The treaty determined the fate of Skåne , which since that time has been

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1856-403: 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

1914-549: 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

1972-414: 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. On 3 January 1972, three days after King Frederik IX delivered his New Year's address, he suffered

2030-419: The duties of the head of state on certain occasions, for example during Frederik and Christian's stays abroad. Queen Margrethe II has had a number of health issues. Since the 1990s, she has undergone 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,

2088-592: The end of the Great Northern War King Frederick IV asked architect Johan Cornelius Krieger , royal gardener to the court at Rosenborg Castle , to build him a small pleasure palace on the site of a farmyard named Østrup. Krieger built the French-inspired baroque palace 1720–1726, and the King himself took an active part in the planning of the building and grounds, and followed construction closely. The man responsible for

2146-558: The other side of the church was the Courtiers Wing (" Kavalerfløj "), residences for the court's clerks and members of the royal household . This section of the palace was built from 1724 to 1726, and introduces elements of the Dutch Baroque style and Rococo. The palace was extended throughout the early 18th century; however, the main structure of the palace has remained unchanged since its inauguration on 11 October 1722,

2204-582: The park . Queen Margrethe uses Fredensborg as a spring and autumn residence, and it is the usual venue for her birthday celebrations every April. The Queen's younger sister, Princess Benedikte, married HH Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg at the Chapel of Fredensborg Palace on 3 February 1968. Until her death, the late Queen Mother, Queen Ingrid used the Chancellery House at Fredensborg as her private residence. The Chancellery House

2262-495: 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

2320-558: 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, the Queen formally appointed it. Officially, it was the monarch who was the head of state , and she therefore presided over

2378-549: The public in July. Here are the kitchen gardens, which supply fresh vegetables for the household, and a modern orangery , which was opened in 1995. In 2021, after extensive restorations and redesign of the gardens, the Fredensborg Palace Garden was awarded the prestigious European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage by the international cultural heritage association, Europa Nostra Award . The jury noted that

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2436-474: The roof of the palace's main building. The slanted roof was replaced by a flat one, and a characteristically de Thurah sandstone balustrade was erected. In 1751 he also transformed the Orangery into a residential building for the ladies-in-waiting. In 1753 Nicolai Eigtved extended the palace by adding four symmetrically positioned corner pavilions with copper pyramid-shaped roofs to the main building. In

2494-494: The royal family have made several other foreign visits. 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. In her annual New Year's Eve address in 1984,

2552-707: The royal family in her parents' summer residence at Gråsten Palace in Southern Jutland . On 20 April 1947, following the death of Christian X, Margrethe's father ascended the throne as Frederik IX. 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

2610-468: The statues in the gardens were sculptured by Johannes Wiedewelt . Of special interest is the "Valley of the Norsemen" ( Danish : Nordmandsdalen ) with approximately 70 sculptures of Norwegian and Faroese farmers and fishermen, originally carved by J.G. Grund. The garden is open all year round. The area of the gardens closest to the palace is reserved for the royal family, but is usually open to

2668-438: 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

2726-568: 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

2784-463: The time of her abdication. She was succeeded by her elder son, Frederik X. Margrethe was born 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 Crown Prince Frederik (later King Frederik IX) and Crown Princess Ingrid (later Queen Ingrid). Her father

2842-543: 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

2900-538: 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

2958-452: The world's most recent female reigning monarch. 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

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3016-453: 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

3074-502: 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

3132-462: Was equipped with huge glasshouse windows, was connected to the main building by a small secret passage, so that the royal family and the courtiers could walk to the chapel without getting their feet wet. The palace chapel stood in the middle of the two buildings, and has an exaggerated copper spire, a pilaster -decorated façade facing the riding ring, and a heavily carved gable featuring a bust of Frederik IV in relief carved by Didrick Gercken . On

3190-929: 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 Margrethe's younger sisters Benedikte and Anne-Marie followed in 1944 and 1946 respectively. The princesses grew up in apartments at Frederik VIII's Palace at Amalienborg in Copenhagen and in Fredensborg Palace in North Zealand . Margrethe spent summer holidays with

3248-429: Was not officially installed until 1596, ruling with a "guardian government" up until then. 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

3306-421: Was placed an octagonal courtyard encircled by the single- storey servants' wings, called Red Wing. It is the only red building at Fredensborg Palace, and it has open half-timbers under a red tile roof. East of the octagon were the riding ring and the long stables building. Further to the east and adjacent to the main palace was an Orangery and the one-storey building called Margrave House. The Orangery, which

3364-773: Was the elder son of the then-reigning King Christian X , while her mother was the only daughter of Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden (later King Gustaf VI Adolf). Her birth took place just one week after the beginning of Nazi Germany 's occupation of Denmark following the war invasion . Princess Margrethe was baptised on 14 May in the Holmen Church in Copenhagen. Her godparents were her grandfathers, King Christian X of Denmark and 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

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