Danish Queen Margrethe II celebrates 40 years on the throne Saturday, marking the decades-long transformation of a shy artist and heavy smoker to become Europe’s most popular monarch.
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark BBC Interview – January 2012 :
On the eve of The Queen’s 40th year ofreign, the BBC aired this short interview in which Margrethe says Queen Elizabeth II is an inspiration to her.
The queen is known affectionately as Daisy. Now 71, she is an accomplished artist and a heavy smoker. She does not use a mobile phone or the internet declaring herself “very happy” without them. Queen Margrethe remains very popular amongst Danes But as the queen prepares to celebrate 40 years on the throne on Saturday, she has told the BBC that she is more convinced than ever that hereditary monarchy has a role to play in modern society. We represent a very long story, and that’s the story of our own country, “she said. Opinion polls suggest strong support in Denmark for Europe’s oldest continuous monarchy, and the Queen has made it clear that she has no intention of stepping down to allow her son, Crown Prince Frederik, to succeed her.
“You are handed your job as the old king or queen dies,” she said.
“It is not a life sentence, but a life of service.”
In an interview in the Great Hall of the Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen,Queen Margrethe also spoke of her lasting admiration for Queen Elizabeth, who celebrates 60 years on the British throne in a few months’ time. (See Related BBC News)
CNN’s Max Foster talked with Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II ahead of her celebrating her 40th year on the throne :
Watch CNN Interview Here
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QUEEN MARGRETHE II
40 Years On the throne (1972-2012)
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40 years of the Queen – Official Portraits Queen Margrethe II of Denmark :
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Ceremonies,Diplomatic Corps, etc
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Danish Royal Family at the opening of the exhibition ‘Regent for 40 years-Queen Margrethe’ (2012) :
11 January 2012/ Queen Margrethe, Prince Consort Henrik, Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary and Prince Christian at the opening of the exhibition ‘Regent for 40 years- QUEEN MARGRETHE II 1972-2012’ at the Museum of National History at Frederiksborg Castle. (New painting by Niels Stroebaek)
Danish Royal Family at New Year’s Court for Diplomatic Corps (2012):
3 January 2012 /Queen Margrethe, Prince Henrik and Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary participate in New Year’s Court for the Diplomatic Corps at Christiansborg Palace.
Queen of Denmark on the Muslim Cartoon Controversy (France 24):
The Queen of Denmark Margrethe II and her French husband Prince Henrik have been coming here for decades. Denmark is famous for its openness and the press is invited along to meet them
Danish Royal Family at the parliament for the Queen’s 40th Jubilee as Reign(2012) :
10 January 2012/ Denmark’s Queen Margrethe , Prince Consort Henrik , Crown Prince Frederik,Crown Princess Mary and Prince Joachim attend a ceremony marking 40 years ofthe Queen’s reign as the country’s monarch at Danish parliament
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DAISY’s JUBILEE
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By Elise Grandjean (AFP) –
COPENHAGEN— Danish Queen Margrethe II celebrates 40 years on the throne Saturday, marking the decades-long transformation of a shy artist and heavy smoker to become Europe’s most popular monarch.
Festivities are scheduled to stretch from Friday to Sunday to mark her accession to the throne on January 14, 1972, when, grief stricken by the death of her father, the 31-year-old lanky crown princess became the first woman to take the helm of Europe’s oldest monarchy.
The eldest of King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid’s three daughters, Margrethe was atthe time already married to Frenchman Henri de Laborde de Monpezat, who became the Prince Consort Henrik.
Their two sons, Frederik and Joachim, were then four and three years old.
Forty years on, the queen’s hair, always impeccably coiffed in a bun, has turnedwhite as snow, giving her the look of the perfect grandmother for her seven grandchildren.
And while her compulsive smoking has yellowed her teeth, Danes do not hold that vice against her, often saying tenderly of other heavy smokers that they “smoke like Queen Margrethe.”
At 71, the queen with sparkling pale blue eyes remains slender and still likes to show off her figure in flashy coloured dress suits accompanied by eccentric hats.
Known affectionately as “Daisy,” the queen is widely popular, with a poll last month showing that nearly eight out of 10 Danes are in favour of their monarchy.
That makes the Scandinavian country’s royal court “the most popular in Europe,” said Lars Hovbakke Soerensen, a historian at the University of Copenhagen who has studied the role of the monarchy in modern society.
Margrethe II has, without rushing or forcing things, been able to “modernise an ageing monarchy and adapt it to the evolving society,” he enthused.
She has seen her popularity soar since the beginning of the 1980s as she began establishing herself as a talented artist.
A multilingual intellectual, she has also taken part in several elaborate translation projects, including the 1981 Danish version of Simone de Beauvoir’s “All Men are Mortal,” which she translated under a pseudonym in cooperation with her husband.
The queen has also designed the costumes and scenery for numerous plays andtelevision series in Denmark.
But it is especially in the domain of drawing and painting that Margrethe II has distinguished herself, having illustrated many books, including the 2002 reissue of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings.”
Her semi-abstract paintings have meanwhile become fixtures in museums and art galleries both in Denmark and abroad.
Her enthusiastic optimism and deep commitment to social issues have also boosted her support.
It has however also earned her criticism in a constitutional system where the monarch is stripped of political power and is expected to show reserve in expressing opinion.
One of her most controversial statements came in her 1984 New Year address, in which she called on Danes to be tolerant and to renounce their “stupid remarks” and their “coolness” towards immigrants.
But the queen, an expert in the art of suggestion, has always defended her right to go beyond her official royal duties.
“I can of course think what I want, just like everyone else. I simply have to refrain from saying everything I think. There are many others who should try that from time to time,” she said in a 1988 interview.
While Margrethe II is popular, a majority of Danes think it will be time for her to pass the baton to Crown Prince Frederik within the next decade, according to a poll published at the beginning of the month.
But the queen is not so avant-garde that she is willing to consider stepping down: “I will remain on the throne until I fall off,” she said recently.
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