Queen Margrethe & the family at Amalienborg

Queen Margrethe and the royal family have appeared together on the balcony at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen for her birthday. Prince Christian made his first Amalienborg appearance, which means it was a kind of historical moment to see the Queen, Frederik and Christian all together there. It was also a nice moment because all of the Queen's immediate family was present, including Prince Joachim's boys Nikolai and Felix. Queen Margrethe looked very happy and in fine spirits along with the rest of the family. The royal wave can be hard to master, as Mary was painfully reminded by Christian!



Politiken slide gallery (2:14)
Berlingske Tidende photo gallery
TV2 Sputnik video clip (0:40)
TV2 video clip (0:30)
TV2 photo gallery
Jyllands Posten 'Dronningen fejret i solskin' (in Danish)
B.T. 'Tusinder hyldede dronningen' (in Danish)
Crowds cheer Danish queen on her birthday (English)
The Mercury (English) 'Mum courts a right royal salute'
Added: Hello magazine 'Denmark's baby prince celebrates royal gran's birthday'

From Madeleine Glindorf's website have a look here at some great photos (check Christian and one of the daschunds!) - thanks Madeleine!

DR video clip (0:25)
TV2 video clip (0:50)
Berlingske WebTV (1:40)
Jyllands Posten slideshow

From The Copenhagen Post:

Long reign the Queen

16.04.2007
Though Queen Margrethe hits the mandatory retirement age Monday, the popular monarch is showing no signs of slowing down.

While most Danes would use their 67th birthday to celebrate retirement, Queen Margrethe seems content to keep her position as the country's ruling regent for at least a few more years.

Despite having two artificial knees, the Queen hits retirement age Monday in relatively good health. Her son, Crown Prince Frederik, has been much in the limelight since his marriage to Crown Princess Mary and lies in wait to be king, but his mother has shown no signs of slowing down.

'The Queen had a sparkle in her eye during her New Year's speech when she said she was in good health, and that was a clear signal she's not abdicating,' Jes Fabricius Møller, historian at the University of Copenhagen, told Nyhedsavisen newspaper.

'Frederik is ready to take the throne, but his candidacy for the Olympic committee runs 10 years into the future, and he can't be king as long as he sits there.'

Queen Margrethe has a number of duties related to her role as regent, including serving as patron for numerous organisations and charities. She also is a noted costume designer and her watercolours are considered to be fine works in their own right.

But historian Jon Bloch Skipper of the Danish House of History believes it is the Queen's sense of obligation to the people that keeps her on the throne.

'She was raised with the idea that being queen is first and foremost a duty.'said Skipper. 'She's made a social contract with the people and we accept that she and the rest of the royal family have prestige, power and wealth because they themselves sacrifice something on the personal level.'

'It's not just a job, it's her life,' he added.