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Following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, who lived to the age of 96, all eyes are now focused on Queen Margrethe of Denmark, 82, as she is now the only reigning Queen in Europe. She was born in Denmark a week after the Nazi invasion of the country, and she lived there throughout the war, attending school in the capital city of Copenhagen.
Like her famous ancestor Elizabeth, Margrethe was similarly destined for glory and success. Get to know this 82-year-old Queen who has done everything from becoming the longest-reigning monarch in Europe to becoming a stage designer for Netflix.
The Only Reigning Queen In Europe
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark is also the head of the Danish Church and the Danish military. Since her father, King Frederick IX's death in 1972, she has reigned as Queen. She was the firstborn child of Frederick IX of Denmark and Ingrid of Sweden, making her a member of the House of Glucksburg. She attended Girton College, Cambridge, and the universities of Aarhus and London. Even though she is a woman, she took over the throne after her father's death because of a newly passed constitutional amendment in 1953 that made it possible for women to become monarchs.
She was the country's first female Queen since Margrethe I, who reigned over the Scandinavian nations in the late 14th and early 15th centuries. In 2022, she will have spent 50 years as Queen of Denmark, making her the second-longest reigning Danish monarch behind her ancestor, Christian IV, who ruled in the 16th and 17th centuries. The said monarch is not included in the richest monarchs in the world. She has been showered with accolades throughout her reign.
She is the seventh Lady of the Order of the Garter and the 118th knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece in Spain. In the United Kingdom, she also serves as Colonel-in-Chief of the Princess of Wales Regiment. According to the Guardian, Denmark's Queen Margrethe II quietly celebrated her diamond jubilee out of respect for her third cousin, the late Queen Elizabeth II, serving as the only reigning female monarch in Europe.
Queen Margrethe's Church Vestments, Costumes, and Theatrical Attire
Margrethe has continued to follow her artistic pursuits while serving as head of state. She creates artwork for books and stamps under the alias Ingahild Grathmer, and the public may find her work in the Danish edition of The Lord of the Rings. The Queen also creates church vestments, costumes, and theatrical attire. She also translates foreign literature into Danish. Her most recent work will be seen in 2023 when she appears as a designer in a Netflix film based on Karen Blixen's novel Ehrengard and directed by Bille August. Margrethe's paintings can be seen in collections both here and abroad.
Her landscapes are typically light and spare, but she sometimes makes great collages and abstract paintings. There were over 130 watercolors on display at the largest exhibition of the Queen's work, which took place in 2012 at the Arken Museum in Copenhagen which is one of the most prestigious museums in the world. In 2017, reports revealed that she worked as an in-house set designer at the Pantomime Theatre in Copenhagen's renowned Tivoli Gardens since 2001.
Her most recent performance is in Yuri Possokhov's Cinderella, playing at the Pantomime Theatre in New York City until August 27. Tivoli's dance group, Tivoli Ballet Theatre, performs the ballet; they have 18 dancers on their roster who are trained in classical ballet from all over the world. According to Hollywood Reporter, Danish Oscar winner Bille August will direct the next Netflix film Ehrengard, while Queen Margrethe of Denmark will serve as the film's set designer. The Queen's creations will most likely find their largest audience through Ehrengard.
The film is an adaptation of a novel by Karen Blixen is one of the new releases of the streaming service Netflix. It is about the fantasy kingdom of Babenhausen hires a young, self-proclaimed expert on love to help find a suitable mate for the Crown Prince so that he will have an heir. His Majesty's plot to have an illegitimate child backfires when the Prince, who the expert has taught the skill of seduction and lovemaking, becomes pregnant.
The Queen's Relationship With The British Royal Family
Elizabeth II and her Danish counterpart, Queen Margrethe, were close allies. Despite being 14 years apart, Queen Margrethe said in an interview that she and the Queen Elizabeth get along quite well. Two weeks after the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, Danish Queen Margrethe II recently canceled celebrations on the 50th anniversary of her accession to the throne as a mark of respect for Queen Elizabeth II.
Express reports that Queen Margrethe postponed a greeting and lunch at City Hall, a carriage procession around Copenhagen, and an appearance on the palace balcony. Margrethe, who became Queen in January 1972, postponed her Golden Jubilee celebrations for a second time this year after holding a lesser event to celebrate the actual occasion last January because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Margrethe II were third cousins. They were descended from Queen Victoria and King Christian X of Norway.
Sources: Denmark, SCMP, Hollywood Reporter,