Queen Margrethe II: Denmark's monarch for a modern age

Scandinavian Review, Autumn 1999 by Thygesen, Peter

Margrethe II -"Daisy" to family and friends- has an impressive way about her. The 59- year- old Queen has a highlysophisticated sense of humor and an affection for baroque situations. Long ago she developed a natural confidence, which did not originally seem to be part of her personality. Widely traveled, the Queen of Denmark delights in the huge royal celebrations which lend luster to Denmark, and during the preparations she gladly takes part in the tiniest details. She is also a great lover of splendor and strong colors, of precious gems and sumptuous gowns; she revels in a good dance, a challenging game of bridge, delicious food and interesting people. In recent years the Queen has entertained such figures as Pope John Paul II; US President Bill Clinton; Nelson Mandela, President of South Africa; and Cuba's President Fidel Castro.

The People's Love

It was a deeply grieved young woman who stepped out on the balcony of Christiansborg Palace in the center of Copenhagen on the bitterly cold day of January 14, 1972. Only the night before her beloved father had passed away after several few weeks of illness. Now Margrethe it stood in the chill wind with the immense responsibility of being the new Head of State, with all the obligations and expectations that the Danish population might have of her. For the first time, she met the Danes as their Queen and presented her motto: "God's help, the people's love, Denmark's strength!

The Danish population knew it had the best prepared monarch imaginable, well trained in the history of Denmark and well educated at excellent schools. After matriculating with distinction in 1959, Margrethe went on to study at universities in Copenhagen, Cambridge, Arhus, Paris and London. There she studied political science and economics in addition to archaeology, the passionate interest of her youth.

This comprehensive education had been arranged by her parents, King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid, in part because the Danish Constitution had been changed through a referendum in 1953 to allow female succession to the throne. With this change Margrethe's life had taken a new direction, so the royal couple's eldest daughter had to be slowly and naturally introduced to the duty she would one day take over.

A Ray of Sunshine

Princess Margrethe was born on April 16, 1940. As the first child of Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Ingrid, the infant princess's arrival was like a ray of sunshine in a time of darkness: Only a week earlier Hitler's troops had attacked and invaded the country. The new princess was named Margrethe Alexandrine Thorhildur Ingrid. During the five years of occupation the small family lived a relatively normal life at the royal palace in Copenhagen. In 1944 Crown Princess Ingrid gave birth to yet another daughter, Princess Benedikte, and in 1946 a third daughter arrived, Princess Anne-Marie.

The grandfather of the three young princesses, King Christian X, died in 1947, and the scepter was passed to his son, Frederik IX.

In later years Queen Margrethe described the day before her 18th birthday as the worst moment of her life as heir to the throne. Suddenly the young woman recognized the implicit sadness of her situation: Only upon her father's death would her own existence really make sense. The Crown Princess was devastated, but used the years that followed to educate herself for one of the most unusual "jobs" that could ever be imagined.

The French Count

After completing her years of study, the Crown Princess went on two very long trips abroad-to South America and to Asia. Upon returning to Copenhagen, Margrethe told her parents that she had fallen in love with a young diplomat at the French embassy in London. In 1966 Margrethe's engagement to Count Henri de Laborde de Monpezat was announced, and the following year the couple was married in a spectacular ceremony in Copenhagen's splendid Holmens Kirke.

In May 1968 Crown Princess Margrethe gave birth to her first child, Prince Frederik, who is today the Crown Prince of Denmark. A second son, Prince Joachim, arrived a year later. (He has recently made the Queen a grandmother for the first time.)

An Old Monarchy

The young royal family had been together at Amalienborg Palace for only four years, when King Frederik IX died, and it was Margrethe's turn to assume high office as Head of State. She was 31 years old.

The Queen is the 49th Danish monarch in a direct line of succession from King Harald Bluetooth, who united Denmark more than a thousand years ago. She is the second woman to sit on the throne of Denmark, but in reality she is the first to be proclaimed Queen. Her predecessor and namesake, Margrete I (1353-1412), was styled "High and Mighty Lady and Regent" and ruled the kingdom on behalf of her infant son.

The legitimacy of the dynasty lies in its historical dimension. Denmark is one of the oldest kingdoms in Europe and in the World, but the monarchy must perform a delicate balancing act in today's democratic era. The code words are tradition, continuity, stability. But the capacity to change is also important.