Sovereign: Margrethe II Queen of Denmark (Amalienborg Palace, Copenhagen, Denmark, April 16, 1940).
Daughter of Frederik IX King of Denmark (1899-1972) and Ingrid Princess of Sweden (1910-2000)
Succeeds her father Frederik IX King of Denmark (1899-January 14, 1972).
Inauguration: Christiansborg Castle, Copenhagen, Denmark, January 15th, 1972.
Motto: "Gud hjælp, Folkets kærlighed, Danmarks styrke" (Gods help, the love of the people, the power of Denmark).
Religion: Lutheran Evangelic. The Queen is head of the Danish Lutheran Evangelic Church.
Married (1967): Henri (Henrik) de Laborde de Monpézat (1934).
Children:
* Frederik Crown Prince of Denmark (Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark, May 26, 1968), Married (2004): Mary Donaldson (1972). They have a son Christian (2005) and a daughter Isabella (2007).
* Joachim (1969), married (1995), divorced (2005): Alexandra Manley (1964). They have two sons: Nikolai (1999) and Felix (2002). He became engaged in 2006 to Marie Cavallier.
Address:
Amalienborg Palace
1257 K Copenhagen
Denmark
Titles: The Queen is Her Majesty, Queen of Denmark. A male heir to the throne is Royal Highness, Crown Prince of Denmark. Queen Margrethe used to be styled as tronfølgeren (heir to the throne) and wasn't called Crown Princess. The children of the sovereign and of the heir to the throne are Royal Highness, Prince/Princess of Denmark. The other members of the royal family are Highness, Prince/Princess of Denmark.
Succession: The throne is hereditary in male and female (since May 28, 1953) descendance of King Christian X. However in each generation the men have priority over the women. Marriages must have the approval of the sovereign and the parliament.
History
Denmark is Europe's oldest monarchy. The first King was Gorm the Old who became the Danish king in 899. All the other dynasties that reigned Denmark descend from this king in straight line. Queen Margrethe I united the Kingdoms of Denmark, Sweden (independent in 1523) and Norway (after 1814 a part of Sweden) in the Union of Kalmar in 1397. In 1448 the House of Oldenburg started to reign. With King Frederik VII this dynasty died out. In 1863 the new dynasty of Slesvig-Holsten-Sønderborg -Glücksborg began to reign over Denmark with King Christian IX, also known as the father-in-law of Europe, as four of his children ascended the throne in another country and as he held big family-reunions where royals could meet. He and his wife Louise had six children: the oldest became King Frederik VIII and married Princess Louise of Sweden, and son Vilhelm became King George I of Greece in 1863. Christian IX soon lost the duchy of Slesvig to Prussia (1864). He died in 1906. His son Frederik VIII only reigned until 1912, when he suddenly died. One of his sons, Carl, became King Haakon VII of Norway in 1905. Frederik VIII was followed by his oldest son King Christian X, who didn't die until 1947. During World War II (1940-1945) he stayed in Denmark and rode on his horse through Copenhagen every day like he did since he became King, which made him a symbol of resistance in Denmark. His son Frederik IX was the next King. He was married to Princess Ingrid of Sweden since 1935. They only got three daughters: Margrethe (1940), Benedikte (1944) and Anne Marie (1946). In 1953 his oldest daughter Margrethe became the Crown Princess after the law was changed. Until then King Frederik IX's younger brother Prince Knud had been the Tronfølgeren. When King Frederik IX died in 1972, Margrethe II became the new Queen of Denmark. She had married Henri de Laborde de Monpézat in 1967 and they had two sons: Frederik and Joachim.
The Kings and Queens of Denmark since 1863
| Christian IX (1818-1906) | 1863-1906 |
| Frederik VIII (1843-1912) | 1906-1912 |
| Christian X (1870-1947) | 1912-1947 |
| Frederik IX (1899-1972) | 1947-1972 |
| Margrethe II (1940-) | 1972- |