Anniversary of Margrethe II's ascension to the throne

As well as today's other Royal Danish news with the twins, today is the 39th anniversary since Queen Margrethe ascended the throne, following the death of her beloved father Frederik IX.

Queen Margrethe's birthday celebrations

Photo: DR.dk/JJ Films

Queen Margrethe will turn 70 on April 16. We are familiar with the annual birthday greeting, usually on the balcony at Amalienborg, but it is a tradition to make a bit more of the celebration when it is a significant number. We saw this in 2008 for Crown Prince Frederik's 40th birthday. A monarch's birthday is one of those occasions when private and public merge. It becomes a moment to celebrate the qualities of the person who embodies her own individuality, her position as the head of her royal house, with all its own traditions and deep connection to Denmark as a nation and her position as head of state in one of the most stable constitutional monarchies in the world. It is altogether a celebration of Margrethe and Denmark: and there will be another 'big number' to celebrate in 2012 with the anniversary of her 40 year reign.

The celebrations so far demonstrate Margrethe's popularity, although this is not to say there are not some in Denmark who wish for a Danish republic. The figure has been roughly around 20% over recent years, which leaves Margrethe and the Danish royal family with the highest approval ratings of any royal family in Europe. Some recent stories in Jyllands Posten suggest more transparency in accounting is being sought by the Social Democrats and some republican protesters have been denied a place by the police in Amalienborg Square to protest their views on the Queen's birthday. The police have stated it is for their own protection since the square is expected to be very crowded with people there to celebrate the Queen. The protesters will demonstrate nearby. Debate about the costs of maintaining a royal head of state or an elected or appointed head of state is not unique to Denmark. The costs of national representatives are probably fairly similar whether under a constitutional monarchy or a republic (with added costs of elections). It is clear that a large majority of Danes value their royal family and all that it represents historically and traditionally to Danish identlity.

Margrethe Alexandrine Þorhildur Ingrid was born at Amalienborg on April 16, 1940 to King Frederik IX and Swedish-born Queen Ingrid. The Heir Apparent acceded to the throne on the death of her father on January 14, 1972 and proclaimed her motto as "God’s help, the love of The People, Denmark’s strength". There are various events and observances as part of the celebrations including the release of a new stamp, coins, a television special about Margrethe and Denmark, various exhibitions, a birthday press conference and official and private galas. There is also extensive coverage in the media.

The DR documentary - The Queen's Denmark - screened on April 5. The documentary was made over four years as the Queen visited the places in Denmark which have meant most to her. The Queen herself is the narrator and it is beautifully shot by the JJ Films crew (yes, Jacob Jørgensen's company, father-in-law to Countess Alexandra, former wife of Prince Joachim). Jacob Jørgensen and Ulrik Wivel directed the program.

Queen Margrethe talks about her passions for culture and history, recounts her many memories linked to different places such as Trend in north west Jutland, Gråsten and Greenland. She talks about her relationship with her father King Frederik and about her marriage to Prince Henrik. The film features previously unpublished reflections on the Queen's strong personal affiliation to Denmark.

The film's director Jacob Jørgensen says "The intention of the film is to show the Queen's very special and warm relationship with Denmark. It is unparalleled that we have insight into the Queen's thoughts about her childhood, about the family and about the job as regent at the same time as we see the places which have meant a great deal to the Queen throughout her life. We have had quite a funny and also exciting collaboration together to make the film."

You can see JJ Films' trailer here on Youtube and the program itself can still be viewed on DR's player here. The program is just under one hour and although it is all in Danish you can get a strong sense of the Queen's deep connection to Denmark, to her sense of human history and nature all about her, to her quite tender reflections about her father and his pride and confidence in her to do the job as regent, remarks about the Danish language (which she finds beautiful) and so on. The cottage she shows us is Trend, a hunting lodge set in deep forest by the north western shore of Jutland. She describes how pleasurable it was as a child to just step outside and be walking in the grass - something special for someone brought up in various castles. Trend is now a favoured place for Frederik and Mary to go for short family breaks. The Queen had an inspirational teacher who introduced her to archeology and she also mentions her Swedish grandfather's encouragement (King Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden 1882-1973) of her childhood interest in rocks and nature, where humans have left their mark everywhere just under foot. It is a lovely film with insight not only into the Queen's inner life but also shows us something of Denmark. She says in her youth she might have liked to have been an archeologist, but that changed as she got older when she became more artistic in her private pursuits. She became reconciled to her fate to become regent in her late teens and knew she would always have her deep sense of duty and connection to Denmark. The music featured in the documentary was written and performed by well-known musician Chris Minh Doky, Frederik's friend and husband to Mary's lady-in-waiting Tanja Doky.

DR's The Queen's Denmark (56.00)

Margrethe & Benedikte reflect on the garden @ Gråsten

All photos © Timo Battefeld/JydskeVestkysten

The Queen and Princess Benedikte received JydskeVestkysten's journalist Katrine Lund Walsted and photographer Timo Battefeld and showed them around the Gråsten Palace garden to co-incide with the Danish Royal Family's stay at a favourite summer residence:
JydskeVestkysten.dk 'En slotshave i dronning Ingrids ånd' - A palace garden in Queen Ingrid's mind

When Queen Margrethe and Princess Benedikte think about Gråsten Palace gardens, they have the people in mind. One of the royal house's three dachshunds pads over the gravel in the courtyard with a member of the Court. The gardeners are in full swing in the late afternoon sun. And the Royal Guards sweat in their uniforms while they stand watch. The royal family is in summer residence in these weeks at Gråsten Slot. And when the weather is right, there is time to spend in the garden. It's Queen Margrethe and Princess Benedikte who come up with ideas for the garden's further development.

The Queen and the Princess have just enjoyed lunch and a cup of coffee on the terrace out next to Gråsten Palace's lake when they receive JydskeVestkysten. The royal sisters have said "yes" to show the local newspaper around the garden. The garden isn't just for the royals, it is also a garden for the people. And the sisters think about it a lot to plan the garden's development. "It shouldn't only be nice when we are here. There also has to be something to look at for the visitors to the garden all year round," Queen Margrethe says.

Gråsten Palace gardens have ten hectares of ground. And what was a park before is now changed to a garden. "Even though the area is large, it's still described as one garden," Princess Benedikte says. The royal sisters took over the garden after Queen Ingrid's death in 2000. And the sisters believe they carry on the garden which was in their mother's mind. One of the first things which Queen Ingrid created in the palace garden was the big colourful herbaceous border out next to against Slotsbakken. "My parents came here in 1936. There wasn't a lot of garden, it was mostly grass and a lot of trees. There was apparently a rose bed, which wasn't very good, so my mother removed it," says the Queen.

The sisters say that the herbaceous border was one of the first things Queen Ingrid built. "The bed was not at all as big as it is now. My mother extended it little by little," Princess Benedikte says. Some years ago the big herbaceous border was rearranged. "The perennials in the beds have always been there, but not necessarily in the same place in the bed." According to the royal sisters the garden beds needed renewal since they had remained the same for many years. "We managed to renew the soil and got a little more variety and more colours into the bed. But it is still in the same style as mother had it," Princess Benedikte says.

Among the local population in Gråsten some people have thought that the big herbaceous border has been changed too much and isn't so beautiful as during Queen Ingrid's time. The sisters think that the beds need time to evolve after the relaying. "There needs to be at least two years after rearranging a bed, it's very flat and bare at first. And then, last summer was horrible and it wasn't particularly good for the garden beds. It had to be adjusted a little. Slots and Ejendomsstyrelsen [the state organisation which runs palaces and gardens] would like to cut down the size of the bed so it isn't so big as it has been," Queen Margrethe says.

The sisters agree that for the first time after the relaying, the bed is now looking beautiful. "Look at the lovely large red phloxes," Princess Benedikte says and points at a large red patch of phlox. The royal sisters are seized by the thoughts about the garden bed and speak happily over each other. "It's beautiful and important to have big lines in big gardens. Here there has to be a bit of show," Princess Benedikte says.

And the Queen adds: "We follow my mother's guide in the colour blends. It's good to have colours, but it must not be too much of one colour. There needs to be a little contrast," Queen Margrethe says.

Garden for the people
We approach the bed from a distance, which spreads like a long green vigorous border with lots of coloured spots in between the green. When standing at a distance you can see that the same elements occur repeatedly. "With a basically good plan for a bed, you can repeat it. There's no need to have 100 different things in the bed," Princess Benedikte says.

In 2006 the sisters put up a couple of benches under some trees. "Here my sister and I thought that there should be a couple of seats. It's such a lovely place. We hope that many people will enjoy these benches," Queen Margrethe says. "It's so lovely and peaceful here," Princess Benedikte smiles.

Every year thousands of locals and tourists visit Gråsten Palace and gardens, and the sisters think about the visitors a great deal when they plan the garden together with the gardener in charge of the summer residence. This year a round bench seat has also been put around the old plane tree by the castle lake. "We often talked about doing it with Queen Ingrid but just never managed to do it... it is nice for the visitors to the garden who can enjoy the view here near the lake and the castle," the Queen says.

At the rose bed by the church there are new English roses planted, and this year, there is a new surround for the gold fish pond. Last summer the royal family had a selection to choose from and they chose some flagstones from Petersen Tegl. "It's a joy to see how the flagstones are consistent with the old stones," Princess Benedikte says.

A piece of Gråsten
The royal sisters stop and look at the old Gråsten apple tree. The Queen picks up an apple and takes a bite. "They are a little sourish still. But they aren't immature," the Queen says. Queen Ingrid was fond of the apple blossoms. "There were some fantastic summers here at the garden. The place here is the quintessence of summer and summertime," Queen Margrethe says. We go down towards Billeddammen, which has a number of old oaks standing near a close neighbour. "This place was one of my mother's favourite places. In the evening when the shadows from the trees fall over the pond, it is very beautiful," says Princess Benedikte.

We go on along the Bille-pond and up against Princess House and Princess Garden. In front of the garden there stand square beds with roses. The number of beds has been reduced during the years. "Some people would probably think that it's pity to reduce the number of roses. But it's important to preserve the good places in the garden with the resources we have, so we put in as much effort as possible," says the Queen... The Princess House was home for two gardener families and later a storage place for tools. "It was in the winter apparently in 1941-1942 that Queen Ingrid made it into a playhouse for me...and it was a favourite place when we were children," Queen Margrethe recounts.

"I can't remember that there was a greenhouse here at all," says Princess Benedikte.
"Can't you remember that we picked berries down on the slope? It must be the four years between us...," the Queen smiles at her sister.

The Princess Garden stands by and large as Queen Ingrid built it. "We have simplified this too but have not altered it very much," says the Queen, who together with her sister has planted a number of lime trees, where the branches will grow together in time [pleach].

On the path from Princess House and down to the castle lake a giant Gunnera stands, which is also called a mammoth leaf. It is an exotic feature, "It almost looks like something from the Amazon River, I have never seen it so large before. It's totally exotic," the Queen says and touches the impressive plant...

At the tennis court there is a new playing surface so that it is possible to play shortly after rainy weather. "It's something the young ones think is cosy, my mother and father also thought so too when they were young. But I am a clown with everything to do with ball games," the Queen smiles.

Out on the terrace next to the castle lake there is a large swimming pool and a children's pool. "My father arranged to [build and] present the pool in 1969 when he was 70 years old. When we were children we drove down to Dynt Strand [beach] near Vemmingbund so we could bathe...So we were very glad for that pool," the Queen says.

The Queen and the princess looked forward to Gråsten during their childhood, spending summers in the garden together with Queen Ingrid. "There were some fantastic summers here in the garden. The place here is the quintessence of summer and summertime," Queen Margrethe says.

In her adult life the Queen has begun to do some of her paintings in the garden. "We enjoy the garden when the weather is good. Put us here, put us there," says the Queen, and points here and there at the cosy corners of the garden.

When the time for the summer stay in Gråsten approaches, the Queen begins to feel happy. "The days are counted, it's like this - ooh! - now it gets closer. I am happy to be at Marselisborg, but I also look forward to coming here. This year were we so lucky to be here for three or four days for Prince Joachim's wedding. And so we managed to see the rhododendrons and the azaleas in flower, which we are not normally in time to see," the Queen said.

And it isn't just the garden that the Queen looks forward to at the summer residence. "Being a haven is a part of the pleasure of the summer residence and there is no doubt it is also being in the house of Gråsten and in Southern Jutland. Summer vacations have always been here," the Queen smiles.

The Queen and the Princess developed their own interest when they got their own gardens. Until now the young ones haven't shown a great interest. "When we were young we also didn't think so much about the gardens. But when one gets one's own, it changes. When the Crown Prince and Crown Princess take over the place here, it'll come. I am in no doubt about that," the Queen says.*




Photos © Timo Battefeld and JydskeVestkysten

JV.dk photo gallery - all Timo Battefeld's photos

*rough blog translation!

More on the Dannebrog's 75th

It has been raining in Copenhagen today...

* See the B.T. photo gallery of Frederik, Mary, Christian and Lillepigen boarding the barge to go out to the Dannebrog
* TV2 photo gallery

The Dannebrog was built in 1932 and was launched by Queen Alexandrine, wife of king Christian X. The Dannebrog is associated with the annual summer visits of Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik to provincial port cities and has travelled more than 300,000 nautical miles during its long lifetime. Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik have taken a personal interest in the maintenance and fitting out of the vessel and in the choice of furnishings. But most would agree that the man who loved the Dannebrog more than anyone else was King Frederik IX, Queen Margrethe’s father.

Crown Prince Frederik, as Frederik IX then was, sailed to Stockholm on board the Dannebrog in 1934 for his wedding to Swedish Princess Ingrid, The Dannebrog was therefore associated with one of the happiest moments in his life. Frederik IX had a morning ritual of being hosed down on the wash deck with ice cold water, including when in Greenland's waters. The ship escaped seizure by the Germans during the World War II Nazi occupation of Denmark.

The Dannebrog operates as a royal yacht in peacetime and equipped to function as a hospital, surveillance and sea rescue vessel during emergencies or war situations. The crew accommodation, cargo and engine are located at the bow end of the ship in front of the funnel while the rear houses the royal apartments comprising study, dining salon, lounge and bedrooms. Some of the furnishings from the previous royal vessel dating from 1879 is still in use. During visits to Danish and foreign ports, the Dannebrog’s quarterdeck has an awning installed and which is used for onboard receptions.

The Dannebrog is an independent command administered by the Chief of the Queen’s Naval Household, a member of the royal household. The crew consists of nine officers, seven sergeants and 36 enlisted able-seamen, handpicked from the navy. Officers are normally seconded for 2-4 year periods, whereas able-seamen serve for just one summer. The last major overhaul that the Dannebrog underwent was in the early 1980s when new B&W Alpha Diesel and Scania auxiliary engines were installed to extend the life of the yacht into the 21st century. Still going strong, the 78 metre-long, 1,238 tonne Dannebrog, which can muster a speed of 13.5 knots with a cruising radius of 3,600 nautical miles, steams on supremely as unchallenged barque of the kingdom - one of Europe’s last surviving royal yachts! (information from The Copenhagen Post)

The first Dannebrog was a paddle steamer launched in 1880 when Christian IX was king (the so-called Father-in-Law of Europe). In November 1905 it carried Danish Prince Carl to Norway, then a newly independent nation after the dissolution of its nearly 100-year union with Sweden. Prince Carl of Denmark was chosen as the new King of Norway, the future King Haakon VII.

Billed Bladet (no.12, 23 March 2007) reported on a documentary shown on DR1 last Easter in anticipation of the 75th anniversary of the Dannebrog. Christian was eight months old when he made his first major voyage on the Dannebrog for last year's summer visit to Bornholm by his parents. This was when Christian appeared on deck on arrival at Rønne. The maker of the program Marcus Mandal said later on the day of arrival: “The Crown Prince is incredibly fond of his little son. That was very obvious when Frederik grabbed a bouquet of flowers to play a peek-a-boo game with him.” In an interview Frederik also relates his memories from sailing on the Dannebrog when he and Joachim were children. Among other things, they took part in the morning muster, dressed in the same white uniforms as the conscripts and got hosed when the deck was hosed. Frederik also tells the story of “Tang Rasmus" (Seaweed Rasmus), a monster which the steward told him roamed around in a narrow provisions room.
The interview with Queen Margrethe was made when the Regent Couple was in Athens with Dannebrog last year for a state visit (2006), and as well as the conversations with the royal family and the pictures of little Prince Christian, the viewers also get a rare glimpse into the private chambers on board and of a huge carpet sea map of Øresund in one of the corridors. Besides being the floating summer palace of the royal family, Dannebrog is also a workplace for 35 new conscripts who go through their training on board. The hands live somewhat more humbly than the royals. When the conditions are rough (as they often are in Greenland, the conscripts sleep in the royal dining salon located at midships, where it doesn’t rock as much as in their usual quarters. (by Anna Johannesen)




DR1 press release about the Marcus Mandel program (in Danish)

The DR1 documentary På togt med kongeskibet (59:00)
There are some great clips and insights into the royal family in this program. We see King Christian tripping a little as he and Queen Alexandrine board, we see lots of scenes of King Frederik frollicking with Margrethe, Benedikte and Anne-Marie, Frederik IX being hosed (a lot!), Frederik IX skipping for exercise, Queen Ingrid too, Queen Ingrid crocheting in a deck chair, Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik onboard, their studies (each has a photo of the other on their desks), Mary being baptised as she crossed the Arctic Circle for the first time on the way to Greenland in 2005, Frederik and Joachim as children onboard, Christian on the way to Bornholm...



1) King Christian X and Queen Alexandrine 2) Queen Ingrid (then Crown Princess) waving farewell to her countrymen in Stockholm as she sails to Denmark on the Dannebrog after her wedding 3) King Frederik IX being hosed down on deck 4) King Frederik skipping 5) Queen Ingrid with her own fancy moves with a skipping rope 6) Frederik and Joachim "doing duty" as children on the Dannebrog 7) at eight months old Christian hangs out with a young seaman on the way to Bornholm 8) Frederik on the bridge, normally he takes the wheel on the Dannebrog but the captain said he spent his time with Christian for his first voyage on the beloved ship


More on the Dannebrog from a series made in 2002 by DR1 with the Queen - she has great sea legs! It is in Danish but shows how much the Queen loves the royal yacht and seems to have many a story to tell.

DR1 video program (30:00)
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Royal photographer Klaus Møller gives a look inside the Dannebrog and shows many of the personal touches of the Queen's paintings and embroidery on cushions, the portrait of the man in uniform is the current captain of the Dannebrog:












Many thanks to Muhler and ambiDK for translations and information.

And special thanks to Klaus Møller for photography inside the royal apartments on the Dannebrog and of life onboard, including the Regent Couple.

See the Royal Danish Naval Museum and the links to Danish history and the navy from the 16th century to the present

The Royal Yacht Dannebrog from the Danish Monarchy website
Christian X from the Danish Monarchy website
Frederik IX from the Danish Monarch website