Margrethe II of Denmark

Margrethe II is known to be a chain smoker. In November 2006, however, it was announced that the queen would only smoke in private.

Her official residences are Amalienborg Palace and Fredensborg Palace. Her summer residence is Grasten Palace, near Sonderborg, which is the former home of her mother.

She has two sons, Crown Prince Frederick and Prince Joachim. They bear the additional title of “Count’ as the queen had announced that all her male-line descendants would bear the title of Count or Countess in recognition of her husband’s ancestry. She has eight grandchildren, four from each son.

Princess Margrethe was born on 16th April 1940 as the first child of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess (who later became Frederick IX and Queen Ingrid) of Denmark in Copenhagen. She was named Margrethe after the Crown Princess Margaret of Sweden. Her father was the eldest son of King Christian X, who was reigning at the time.

Her grandfather passed away in 1947, after which her father became King Frederick IX. Since at the time women were excluded from inheriting the throne, it was assumed that King Frederick’s younger brother Prince Knud would be the heir. However, Frederick began to work on the succession laws, and finally in 1953, a new act of succession was passed.

The new succession law permitted male-preference cognatic primogeniture. It meant that though sons would gain preference, in a son’s absence, a daughter could inherit the throne.

Prince Knud, her uncle, was not very happy with the reformed laws. As a consolation, he was given the title Hereditary Prince Knud, though he wasn’t the direct heir to the throne.

Margrethe studied at the N. Zahle's School and graduated in 1959. She next attended the University of Copenhagen, where she studied philosophy. She proceeded to further her education at the Girton College at the University of Cambridge, receiving a degree in prehistoric archaeology.

Margrethe got married to a French diplomat named Count Henri de Laborde de Monpezat on 10th June 1967 at the Church of Copenhagen. After the marriage, Monpezat received the title of ‘His Royal Highness Prince Henrik of Denmark’ because of his new position as the husband of the heir presumptive to the Danish throne.

Their first child was born in May 1968. He was named Frederick. They had another child the next year; he was named Joachim.

King Frederick IX passed away after a brief illness on 14 January 1972, after which Margrethe ascended to the Danish throne as Queen Margrethe II. Following the traditions, she was formally proclaimed the queen on 15 January by the Prime Minister Jens Otto Krag from the palace’s balcony.

Margrethe gave a speech to the crowds below, expressing grief over the loss of her father, the king. She also asked for God’s help in assuming her duties, as well as for the support of the Danish people.

The queen’s tasks include representing her kingdom abroad and being a unifying figure at home. She receives foreign ambassadors, as well as awards, honors, and medals. In addition to the roles in her own country, Margrethe II is also the Colonel-in-Chief of the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment, an infantry regiment of the British Army.

Other than these royal duties, she is also known for her passion for the arts. She is a painter and designer, and her work has been displayed in exhibitions around the world. Some of her works are part of permanent collections in several Danish museums.

She has provided illustrations for numerous books, as well as designed many sets and costumes for theatre. Her artwork—under the pseudonym of Ingahild Grathmer—was also used for the Danish edition of the famed novel ‘Lord of the Rings’.