After the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the Danish Queen Margrethe II significantly reduced the program for her 50th anniversary celebrations.
In view of the sad news of the death of the British Queen, the Danish royal family announced that the program would be adjusted at the Queen’s request. Specifically, this means that the greatest opportunities for the population to see the 82-year-old monarch this weekend will not take place.
Extremely popular with the people, Margrethe inherited the Danish throne after the death of her father, King Frederik IX. inherited on January 14, 1972. She had actually wanted to celebrate her 50th anniversary on the January deadline, but the corona pandemic thwarted the celebrations at the time. Margrethe therefore decided to move most of the celebrations to late summer – to this Saturday and Sunday – so that as many people as possible can celebrate with her.
Carriage ride is cancelled
Because of the Queen’s death, many pivotal moments in this program are now being canceled or rescheduled. A parade of guards in front of Amalienborg Palace, where Margrethe and her family wanted to show themselves on the palace balcony on Saturday afternoon, is canceled, as is a carriage ride through Copenhagen. Thousands of Danes and Copenhagen tourists were expected at these two points. A visit to Copenhagen City Hall, including an entertainment program, is to be made up for at a later date.
On the other hand, some celebrations take place in a partially modified form, including a gala event in the Royal Theater on Saturday evening, a church service on Sunday morning and a reception for the Nordic heads of state on Margrethe’s ship “Dannebrog”. A gala dinner at Christiansborg Palace, the seat of the Danish Parliament, will also be held in an adapted form.
It would probably have been irreverent to celebrate a queen’s jubilee with a lavish folk festival if another long-serving monarch had just passed away. Queen Elizabeth II was not only the only monarch in Europe who lasted longer than Margrethe, but also her third cousin. The Danish newspaper Politiken wrote on Friday that Margrethe, at 50 years of age, is now the longest-serving living regent in the world.
“A great inspiration for all of us”
Margrethe had the new British King Charles III. expressed her condolences on Thursday evening. “Your mother was very important to me and my family. She was an outstanding personality among European monarchs and a great inspiration for all of us,” she wrote in a letter to Charles, which the Danish royal family then published on Instagram. “During her reign through both difficult and positive times, she played a crucial role as a unifying figure, well respected and deeply loved.”
