HM Queen Margrethe 2nd of Denmark was proclaimed Queen on 15 January 1972, the day after her father King Frederik IX died. In Denmark, her 40 year jubilee as reign of Denmark is celebrated extensively. She is Denmark’s second female monarch.
An interview with The Queen on the occassion will be aired on CNN several times over this weekend and it is also available on demand here:
http://edition.cnn.com/video/?/video/world/2012/01/12/foster-denmark-queen-jubilee-reign.cnn
The Danish monarchy can be traced back in history as far as to the Viking King Gorm the Old (d. 958). Though Denmark is one of the oldest monarchies in the World, a 40th jubilee for a monarch is a very rare occasion.
The Queen is married to HRH Prince Henrik. They have two sons, HRH Crown Prince Frederik (married to HRH Crown Princess Mary) and HRH Prince Joachim (Married to HRH Princess Marie), and since 1999 her family has been extended with 7 grandchildren. The Queen is very active and participates in many events in Denmark as well as abroad. And personally she has a pronounced interest in archaeology and arts, and is herself an acclaimed painter.
Her Majesty and the Royal family are extremely popular in Denmark. While, in 1972 when Queen Margrethe took the throne, there was some public sentiment in favour of a republic, in the 21st century the popularity of the Royal House is as high as ever with overwhelming support for the monarchy. This development can be greatly attributed to HM the Queen personally. A steadfast anchor, she presides over numerous public events and delivers inspiring speeches while staying out of, indeed above, politics. She has initiated and administered a gradual, but profound modernisation of the Danish monarchy opening up for increased interaction with the Danish public while managing to preserve the special ‘magic’ that surrounds the Royal family.
There is a solid friendship between the Thai and Danish Royal families. HM Queen Margrethe herself with HRH Prince Henrik conducted a state visit to Thailand in 2001. More recently, HRH Crown prince Frederik and HRH Crown Princess Mary visited Thailand in 2008 to participate in the celebration of the 150 years anniversary of Danish-Thai Diplomatic relations.
