The current Danish monarch, Queen Margrethe II, turns 80 today, with the country scaling down the birthday celebrations due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Today, Denmark’s current monarch, Queen Margrethe II, turns 80 years old, having been born on the 16th of April 1940, just a few days after Nazi Germany occupied the country during World War II, on April 8th 1940. This birth could be considered as a breath of fresh air or a light in the darkness, giving people something else to think and worry about. The Queen has also been reigning for 48 years, having succeeded to the throne in January 1972.
While when talking about monarchies, most people think about the British one, the Danish monarchy is the oldest continuing line in the world, making it the world’s oldest monarchy, having started around the year 900. It also benefits from strong support from the Danish population, with 70 to 80 percent of Danes being for the monarchy and against its abolition, and viewing positively the current monarch, with some going as far as calling her affectionately “grandmother”.
This year, various celebrations linked to the monarch’s birthday have had to be cancelled or modified, due to the current coronavirus pandemic, with every citizen having to do their share to limit and eventually stop its propagation. For instance, while the Queen would receive flowers from the population, the monarch requested citizens to send these flowers to senior citizens, who are the most affected by the pandemic, being unable to have close contact with their families or going outside unless absolutely necessary. Furthermore, citizens were also invited to send their congratulations via the Royal House’s website.
Other important celebrations, unrelated to the birthday, have also been cancelled, such as the 100th anniversary of the reunification of Southern Jutland with Denmark. Below, a painting depicting Danish King Christian X receiving the Danish flag, the Dannebrog, by four young girls, celebrating the reunification:
The Royal families of neighbouring European countries have also sent their congratulations via a video, which includes members from Spain, Sweden, Norway, The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg:
The Danish army, including the Royal guards (Den Kongelige Livgarde), Navy and armed forces, have made a rather creative video, congratulating Her Majesty for her birthday, while still working to keep the nation safe:
Various Danish companies and organizations have also congratulated the monarch, such as the mythical park Tivoli, one of the oldest operating amusement parks in the world:
The porcelain company Royal Copenhagen, renowned for their excellent products found in many Danish homes and mostly used for special gatherings, such as birthdays, marriages or end of the year celebrations (Christmas, New Year), has also congratulated the monarch:
The Queen will be addressing the nation through TV at 7 P.M., viewable through the channels DR and TV 2, speech given from the castle of Fredensborg, where she’s been residing since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in Denmark, in early March 2020.
Gud Bevare Danmark!
Update: For those interested, here’s Her Majesty’s speech in Danish, as well as the video from DR:
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