Margrethe II
Margrethe Alexandrine Þorhildur Ingrid (born April 16, 1940) is the Queen of Denmark.
She was born at Amalienborg Palace, Copenhagen, to Frederick IX and Princess Ingrid of Sweden. Queen Margrethe II's official motto is "God's help, the love of the people, Denmark's strength".
Princess Margrethe was baptised on 14 May 1940 at The Naval Church and confirmed on 1 April 1955 at Fredensborg Palace. As the Danish king was also sovereign of Iceland at the time, as a courtesy the princess was given an Icelandic middle name, Þorhildur (spelt with the Icelandic thorn character, transliterated "th").
The New Act of Succession of 27 March 1953 permitted female succession to the throne of Denmark, but only secondarily. On the occasion of the accession to the throne on 14 January 1972, Queen Margrethe II became the first Danish Sovereign under the new Act of Succession.
On her eighteenth birthday, 16 April 1958, the Heiress Presumptive was given a seat in the Council of State, and the Princess subsequently chaired the meetings of the Council in the absence of The King.
On 10 June 1967 Her Royal Highness The Princess Margrethe of Denmark married a French diplomat, Henri de Laborde de Monpezat at the Naval Church. Henri received the title of "His Royal Highness Prince Henrik of Denmark" because of his new position as the spouse of the heiress apparent to the Danish Throne. Two children were produced from this union: His Royal Highness Frederik André Henrik Christian, Crown Prince of Denmark was born on 26 May 1968; and His Royal Highness Joachim Holger Waldemar Christian, Prince of Denmark, was born on 7 June 1969.
The Kingdom of Denmark is a Constitutional Monarchy, which means that the sovereign cannot perform political acts independently. Although The Queen signs all Acts of Legislation before they can become Law, these only come into effect when they have been countersigned by a Cabinet Minister. As Head of State, The Queen participates in the formation of a new government.
After consultation with representatives of the political parties, the Leader of the Party which holds the largest number of seats in the Danish Parliament is invited to form a new government. Once it has been formed, the monarch formally appoints it. Additionally, it is The Queen who is the real Head of the Government and therefore presides over the Council of State, where the Acts of Legislation which have been passed by Parliament are signed into law.
The Prime Minister of Denmark and the Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs report regularly to The Queen to notify and advise her on the latest political developments. Her Majesty hosts official visits by foreign Heads of State and pays State Visits abroad. The Queen receives every Ambassador from foreign countries represented in Denmark and also formally appoints and dismisses civil servants.
The Queen's main tasks are to represent The Kindgom abroad and to be a unifying figurehead at home. The Queen performs the latter task by accepting invitations to open exhibitions, attending anniversaries, inaugurating bridges etc. As an unelected public official, The Queen takes no part in party politics and does not express any political opinions.
Queen Margrethe has a reputation for being one of Europe's most modern and progressive monarchs. She openly grants television interviews, and is fond of casual public appearances. The Queen is also an accomplished and critically-acclaimed painter, and has held many art shows over the years. It is often said that were she not Queen, she could easily make a living as a professional artist. She is also known for being a chain-smoker.
External link
|
Preceded by: |
Heir Apparent: Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark |