The life story of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark

On April 16, 1940, the Danish royal family welcomed a little princess. She was the first child of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Ingrid at that time. On this day, just one week had passed since their neighboring country, Nazi Germany, invaded Denmark. Crown Princess Ingrid, the daughter of the King of Sweden, was a courageous woman. After giving birth to the princess, she placed her in a baby carriage and pushed her towards the streets of Copenhagen, uplifting the morale of the people. She told everyone that even though darkness had descended, hope remained, and everything would get better. At that time, she did not yet know that the princess in the baby carriage would become the future Queen of Denmark and reign for half a century. This princess, the future queen and the main character of our story today, is Queen Margrethe II.

On April 16, 1940, the Danish royal family  welcomed a little princess. She was the first   child of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess  Ingrid at that time. On this day, just one week   had passed since their neighboring country, Nazi  Germany, invaded Denmark. Crown Princess Ingrid,  

The daughter of the King of Sweden, was a  courageous woman. After giving birth to the   princess, she placed her in a baby carriage and  pushed her towards the streets of Copenhagen,   uplifting the morale of the people. She told  everyone that even though darkness had descended,  

Hope remained, and everything would get better. At  that time, she did not yet know that the princess   in the baby carriage would become the future Queen  of Denmark and reign for half a century. This   princess, the future queen and the main character  of our story today, is Queen Margrethe II.

The parents of Margrethe later  gave birth to two more princesses,   Benedikte and Anne-Marie. The three  sisters were graceful and beautiful,   becoming a picturesque scene in Denmark.  The youngest daughter, Anne-Marie,   became the most beautiful princess in Europe  at that time due to her stunning appearance,  

And from the age of 13 onwards, she was constantly  admired by princes from various countries. However, at that time, Denmark’s inheritance  laws stipulated that females had no right to   inherit the throne. Therefore, even after Crown  Prince Frederik became the King of Denmark and  

Already had three children, his younger  brother, Prince Knud, remained the first   in line to the throne. To allow his daughter  to ascend to the throne, Margrethe’s father,   King Frederik IX, pushed for the amendment of  Denmark’s inheritance laws in 1953. The new law  

Stated that a queen could ascend in the absence of  a son. In this way, 13-year-old Margrethe became   the first crown princess in Danish history. On  the other hand, Prince Knud, who was deprived   of the right to inherit the throne, faced such  a setback. In a fit of pique and disregarding  

The risks of marrying close relatives, he  married his cousin and had three children. The Danish royal family has always been known for  its carefree and unconventional style in Europe.   Kings can casually ride horses or bicycles into  the city without any attendants. Margrethe, with  

Her lively and carefree personality, fit right  into this atmosphere. At that time, Elizabeth II   had already been crowned as the Queen of the UK,  renowned in Europe for her dignified and gracious   demeanor. The British at the time said that the  queen had not done anything out of the ordinary  

Since the moment she became a princess. In  contrast, Margrethe was known for her unrestrained   and free-spirited nature. She was often seen  with a cigarette in hand, loved traveling around   the world, and had a particular passion for  archaeology. She even joined her grandfather,  

King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden, on archaeological  expeditions to Egypt and Italy. In addition to her   adventurous pursuits, Margrethe was proficient in  multiple languages and had a deep love for design,   painting, and literature. She studied economics,  law, history, archaeology, and more at renowned  

Universities such as the University of Copenhagen,  Cambridge University, Paris University,   and the London School of Economics. She  eventually earned a doctoral law degree. In 1964, Princess Anne-Marie,  the youngest sister of Margrethe,   got married at the age of 18. She married the  then King of Greece and became the youngest  

Queen in Europe. After Princess Anne Marie’s  marriage, the media often asked Margrethe,   who was still single at the time, when she  planned to find her significant other. She   confidently replied, “My significant other  will come to find me.” In the following year,  

1965, while studying at the London School of  Economics, she attended a dinner and met Henri,   who worked at the French Embassy in London. That  evening, she didn’t pay much attention to Henri,   but he noticed her. After all, Margrethe stood  tall at 1.8 meters, with a striking appearance,  

Cheerful personality, and being a princess –  making it hard for people not to notice her.   Perhaps at that moment, Henri secretly harbored  the grand wish of marrying the future queen. Soon,   the opportunity arose. Henri encountered Margrethe  again at another gathering. This time, Margrethe  

Finally took notice of him. They quickly fell in  love, and half a year later, they became engaged. In 1964, Henri changed his name to Henrik  in Danish and formally arrived in Denmark   from France to meet Margrethe. In  1967, they held a grand wedding,  

And the happiness radiated from Margrethe’s  face. What could be sweeter than marrying   the one you love? Henrik himself was a nobleman  with hobbies such as poetry, horseback riding,   piano, painting, sculpture, etc. He published  nine volumes of poetry and even had Margrethe   illustrate his poetry collections. He  was proficient in several languages,  

Including English, French, Danish, Vietnamese, and  Chinese, as he had lived in Vietnam for a period   when he was young. The union of Henrik and the  talented queen was truly a match made in heaven. In 1972, King Frederik IX of Denmark passed away,  and at the age of 31, Margrethe inherited the  

Throne, becoming Queen Margrethe II. Despite the  busy state affairs that came with being queen,   Margrethe did not abandon her passion for  the arts. She designed Danish queen stamps,   published illustrations for “The Lord of  the Rings,” and enjoyed designing clothing,   including her wedding gown. In addition,  she designed costumes for the Royal Danish  

Ballet. After marriage, she and her husband  collaborated on translating the works of   Simone de Beauvoir from French to Danish. They  spent some time in France each year, and during   one of these visits, they bought a small castle,  where they could grow grapes and paint landscapes.

As the years passed in this tranquil  manner, decades hurried by. Although   Margrethe’s appearance aged, her  heart remained youthful. Meanwhile,   Henrik transformed from a young man into a chubby  old man with an adorable expression. However,   at this point, he harbored different thoughts.  He had always felt that throughout his life,  

He had been overshadowed by his wife. Originally  a diplomat from a noble family with a promising   future, he had to give up his career to play  a supporting role for his wife. His children   had to bear his wife’s surname, and even during  international visits, he always walked behind  

His wife. Even pocket money required asking his  wife. He felt he had lost the dignity of a man. At this time, Henrik had some thoughts. His first  idea was that he wanted to be a king. He couldn’t  

Understand why the wife of a king could be called  Queen, while the husband of a queen couldn’t be   called King. This matter became widely known in  Denmark, but even if Margrethe loved her husband,   she dared not set a precedent for this issue.  Henrik’s decades-long desire to become a king  

Remained unfulfilled, and the matter was  seemingly forgotten. However, unexpectedly,   he encountered another setback along the way.  In 2002, when Queen Margrethe II fell ill, she   allowed her eldest son, Crown Prince Frederik, to  preside over a diplomatic banquet on her behalf.  

This angered Henrik once again. He couldn’t fathom  why he wasn’t allowed to preside over it himself.   Frustrated, he returned to France. Eventually,  the queen personally went to France with their   two sons to bring him back. Furthermore, in 2017,  Henrik announced that after his death, he would  

Not be buried with Margrethe. His will stated  that he wanted to be cremated, with half of his   ashes scattered into the sea and the other half  buried in Fredensborg Palace, where they lived,   to be with his family. This time, Margrethe did  not and could not oppose. Earlier, Denmark’s  

National treasure-level artists had designed  crystal coffins for Margrethe and Henrik. The   royal family later announced that Queen Margrethe  II would rest alone in it after her passing. In February 2018, Prince Henrik completed  his life’s journey surrounded by family and,  

Following his will was cremated. After a 50-year  struggle for his rights, his final wish in life   was achieved in this way. The couple had  shared a lifetime of love and challenges,   but when he departed, Henrik likely harbored  no resentment. During Henrik’s funeral,  

As the queen entered the church, she was  surprised to find the floor covered in   flowers. It turned out that Henrik had personally  designed the funeral. He had the church decorated   as a sea of flowers so that the queen could  walk through the blooming flowers, creating  

A romantic surprise for her final moments. This  was because, at their wedding 51 years earlier,   Henrik had said, “I came from a kingdom of  flowers to a beautiful garden. In this garden,   there are various kinds of flowers, but the most  beautiful in the sea of flowers is my girl.”

In April 2020, it was Queen Margrethe  II of Denmark’s 80th birthday. However,   due to the pandemic, grand celebrations  were not possible, and she had a somewhat   subdued birthday. Margrethe had once said  that at her age, one must gradually learn   how to cope with loneliness. Despite having  two sisters, two sons, eight grandchildren,  

And the love of the Danish people, she still  faced a certain solitude. In her old age,   she continued to have a passion for art and  literature, dedicating much of her time to   painting and creative pursuits. However, all these  interests may not fully compensate for the immense  

Loneliness brought about by her husband’s passing.  Now, as a queen, she must face the prospect of   death alone. Despite her regal status, her  emotional state in old age may be quite   similar to that of an ordinary person. Wishing  the queen all the best in facing these challenges.