Queen Margrethe turns 68!

On April 16 Queen Margrethe celebrated her 68th birthday. At midday the customary greeting between monarch and citizens took place at Amalienborg following the procession of the Royal Guards in the square. The crowd called for the Queen and she answered by appearing on the balcony with Prince Henrik, Prince Joachim, Prince Nikolai, Prince Felix, and, for the first time, Marie Cavallier, making her first balcony appearance with the Royal Family. The Queen's dog was also on the balcony as she was last year (at Christian's level!)



Billed Bladet 'Maries prinsessedebut på balkonen' - Marie's princess debut on the balcony
Queen Margrethe was cheered by thousands of happy people who marked her birthday at Amalienborg Palace square, and in a surprise, Marie Cavallier also appeared.
Queen Margrethe was met with cheering and "happy birthday" choruses when she stepped out at midday on the balcony of Christian IX's Palace and was celebrated by thousands of happy Danes...
As at previous royal birthdays, there were more than a thousand kindergarten children together with their teachers, parents and grandparents, congratulating and cheered their queen.
From the balcony the queen waved to the crowd - happily and proudly surrounded by the Royal Family, including the Prince Consort, Prince Joachim, and in honour of the occasion, with grandsons Nikolai and Felix, and the extra surprise of Marie Cavallier.
Marie's presence especially attracted interest and attention, as she made her début on the balcony...
At the beginning Marie seemed seemed a little hesitant and a little insecure on when she had to wave at the many thousands of people from the balcony, but with Prince Joachim at her side, the future princess quickly regained self-assurance and waved eagerly thereafter.
Billed Bladet 'Dronning Margrethe fejrer fødselsdag' - Dronning Margrethe celebrates birthday (Danish)
B.T. 'Marie vist frem på balkonen' - Marie seen from the balcony (Danish)
TV2 article 'Dronning Margrethe fylder 68 år' (Danish)
Hola.com - Marie Cavallier, 'queen' of Margrethe II's 68th birthday

Madeleine Glindorf's photo gallery
TV2 photo gallery
B.T. photo gallery

Politiken.tv clip (01:27),
TV2 news clip (01:32)
J.P. TV (00:55)
DR NETTV (01:44)

After the balcony appearance Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik visited Rosenborg Castle in the afternoon for the re-opening of the royal collections which have been closed during the past year while restoration of the building went on. More than 10,000 pieces have been stored while the work has been done, with the silver furniture collection having been stored in the vaults of the Danish National Bank. Of primary concern were the floors of the castle, now restored, and some modern touches have been added, such as lighting, but all in the spirit of maintaining the integrity of the building.

Berlingske Tidende 'Redningsaktion Rosenborg' by Torben Weirup - Rescue Rosenborg
On her birthday today Queen Margrethe re-inaugurates Rosenborg Slot, which has undergone a huge and much needed renovation.
The Great Hall got a new floor, and in the same apartment is a newly repaired a space which tells the history of the Danish kings.
...here follows a positive story about being careful with the national inheritance, about excellent craftsmanship and about architects with a good sense of how to respect older buildings through discreet renewals.
Rosenborg, which is one of the country's most popular tourist destinations, has just gone through a huge renovation.
[...the floors were found to be unsafe...]
That meant that Rosenborg, which makes three quarters of its income from entrance fees, gradually had to turn away visiting groups and cancel concerts.
When it was discovered vibration in Riddersalen's (Knight's Hall) floor meant that the stucco ceiling downstairs cracked and that the whole structure was at risk of collapse, a complete overhaul was unavoidable.
Parts of the floor of Riddersalen had dry rot and it was this floor which supported one of the load bearing walls.
Thanks to a special finance bill and funds among others from the Nordea Danmark Fund, it has been a great achievement in record time to secure the building ...and all its treasures...
Instead of attempting an exact replica of the original wooden floor, an elegant solution was chosen which is a modern paraphrasing of a baroque floor with a pattern of black, white and red marble flagstones...
All in all, Rosenborg is filled with treasures.
The price for the repair has been about DKK 30 million...


© Berlingske Tidende/Jens Astrup


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