In shadow of pandemic, Danish queen marks 50 years on throne

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Denmark’s 81-year-old Queen Margrethe has truthful acold escaped contracting COVID-19 and is afloat vaccinated. But the pandemic is erstwhile again spoiling an important enactment for the fashionable monarch.

In 2020, it killed nationalist celebrations for her 80th birthday. Now, 2 days of large celebrations for her 50th day connected the throne of Europe’s oldest ruling monarchy, scheduled to commencement Friday, person been postponed until September.

Margrethe will, however, laic flowers astatine the sedate of her parents astatine Roskilde cathedral, westbound of Copenhagen, wherever Danish royals person been buried since 1559. Earlier, she is to conscionable with the authorities and be a reception astatine Parliament.

Postponed jubilee events see being cheered by thousands from the balcony of the Amalienborg Palace successful Copenhagen, a thrust done the superior successful a horse-drawn carriage, a gala show astatine the Royal Theater and a festive banquet.

On Jan. 14, 1972, her father, King Frederik IX, died aft a abbreviated illness. The pursuing day, a red-eyed Margrethe, aged 31, stood connected the balcony of the downtown Christiansborg Castle and was formally proclaimed queen earlier a assemblage of thousands.

Throughout her reign, the queen has crisscrossed the realm and made galore visits abroad.

Last twelvemonth she traveled to Denmark’s self-governing territories of the Faeroe Islands and Greenland. She besides went to Berlin for the centennial of the 1920 reunification with Denmark of the confederate portion of the Jutland peninsula which had been nether German rule.

When she has a interruption from authoritative duties, Margrethe — Europe’s 2nd longest reigning monarch aft Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II — paints, sketches, illustrates books, creates religion textiles and embroiders. She has besides created costumes and sets for respective ballets astatine the Tivoli gardens, Copenhagen’s downtown amusement park.

Born connected April 16, 1940, a week aft the commencement of Nazi Germany’s World War II concern of Denmark, the babe princess became a awesome of anticipation to galore Danes successful the warfare years.

It took a ballot to marque her queen, though. In 1953, the Danish Constitution was changed pursuing a referendum successful which much than 85% of participants voted to let pistillate succession.

Previously, the Danish throne had descended lone done the antheral line, but the emergence of feminism and the information that Frederik and Swedish-born Queen Ingrid had 3 daughters but nary son, had swayed nationalist opinion.

The Danish constitution gives Margrethe nary existent governmental powerfulness but she is intelligibly well-versed successful instrumentality and knows the contented of authorities she is called upon to sign.

“My main and astir important task is to beryllium Queen of Denmark and the caput of state,” she said successful a caller TV interview. “But I americium grateful that I tin besides explicit myself artistically.”

One of her latest projects is collages for a movie by Danish Academy Award-winning manager Bille August, who is adapting a communicative astir a fairytale kingdom. The movie is expected successful 2023.

Her popularity has successful portion grown due to the fact that of her straightforward talking successful her yearly televised New Years speeches, wherever she has spoken astir being little “selfish,” integrating foreigners and tackling loneliness.

In 2014, 82% of respondents successful a canvass opposed abolishing the monarchy.

Ten years ago, celebrating her 40th day connected the throne, Margrethe reflected connected her relation and the aboriginal of the Danish monarchy, saying: “You don’t enactment to support a position, you enactment to support your country,”

“You springiness your beingness to your country,” she said. Margrethe has respective times brushed disconnected the proposition she should abdicate successful favour of her son, Crown Prince Frederik.