Queen Margrethe of Denmark's Golden Jubilee: Everything we know so far (original) (raw)

Queen Elizabeth isn't the only royal celebrating a momentous milestone in 2022.

Queen Margrethe of Denmark is also commemorating a significant jubilee, marking her 50-year reign this month.

Princess Mary's mother-in-law will mark her Golden Jubilee on January 14 but, like most other major events around the world right now, coronavirus has impacted plans for the four-day celebration.

READ MORE: Queen Margrethe postpones Golden Jubilee celebrations amid coronavirus surge in Denmark

Queen Margrethe of Denmark will mark her 50-year reign on January 14, 2022 but most Golden Jubilee events have been delayed until September due to COVID-19 (Instagram/Danish Royal Household)

Here's everything we know so far about the celebrations:

What date will Queen Margrethe's Golden Jubilee be celebrated?

Originally, the celebrations were set to take place from January 13-16.

But all of the bigger events have been postponed until September, the Danish royal household has announced.

"A number of the events that should have marked Her Majesty the Queen's 50th government anniversary in mid-January 2022 will instead take place on 10 and 11 September 2022," the palace said in a statement.

The postponed events include: The Queen's anniversary press conference, lunch at Copenhagen City Hall, a gala performance at the Old Stage within the Royal Theatre, a festive service at the Copenhagen Cathedral and a gala dinner at Christiansborg Castle.

There was also set to be an appearance from the entire royal family on the palace balcony (UK Press via Getty Images)

There was also set to be a special changing of the guard ceremony at Amalienborg Palace Square, where the Queen and entire royal family were going to make an appearance on the balcony.

The final program will be announced later this year.

What is the actual date of the Queen's accession to the throne?

Princess Margrethe became Queen of Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland after her father, King Frederik IX, passed away on January 14, 1972.

She had only became the heir to the throne in March, 1953, (the year of Queen Elizabeth's coronation in the UK) after the government passed a changed to The Act of Succession giving women the right of succession if there was no male heir.

This was subsequently changed again in 2009, allowing the eldest child, regardless of gender, to accede to the throne.

What is the Golden Jubilee celebrating?

Queen Margrethe's Golden Jubilee will celebrate her 50 years as the head of state.

The theme of the year will be based on a motto the monarch adopted when she took to the throne: "God's help, the love of the people, the strength of Denmark".

The momentous occasion will be marked in a scaled-back fashion in January followed by events in several places across Denmark throughout the year.

It will be one of the biggest events held in honour of the monarch since the loss of her husband, Prince Henrik, in 2018. The widow's 80th birthday celebrations in 2020 were scaled back thanks to the pandemic.

What events are planned?

The Queen's 50th government anniversary, as it's also being called, will include the release of a number of new books, TV interviews and documentaries across the year.

Official logo for Queen Margrethe's 50th Golden Jubilee (Kontrapunkt/Kongehuset)

While many of the lead-up events have been postponed until September, the day will still be marked on Friday, January 14, with some key royal engagements.

These include:

• The Queen and Crown Prince Frederik begin the day by meeting with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen at Christiansborg Castle.
• Later in the morning, her two sons, Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim, and their wives, Princess Mary and Princess Marie, will join the Queen and her younger sister Princess Benedikte as Danish Parliament celebrates the anniversary.
• At midday, there will be a wreath-laying ceremony at King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid's grave at Roskilde Cathedral on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of King Frederik IX's death. The Queen will again be joined by her sons, daughters-in-law and sister for this part of the day.

Which events have been cancelled?

At this stage it appears most events have been postponed, rather than cancelled.

The previously announced schedule also included:

Monday, January 10: The Queen holds a press conference at Amalienborg.

Thursday, January 13: The Queen opens the exhibition A Queen's Jewellery Box at the Royal Collection Amalienborg Museum.

Saturday, January 15:

• The Queen and the royal family will appear on the balcony of Christian IX's Palace at Amalienborg for the changing of the guard at midday.
• The Queen will ride in a carriage to Copenhagen City Hall, where there will be a celebration and official lunch, and where the Queen will appear on the City Hall balcony.
• The anniversary is marked in the evening with a party performance on the Old Stage in the Royal Theatre. Her Majesty will arrive for the festive evening in a carriage from Amalienborg with an escort of the Gardehus Regiment's Horse Squadron.

Sunday, January 16:

• Service of thanksgiving in Our Lady's Church in Copenhagen.
• The Queen holds a gala dinner at Christiansborg Castle, where the royal family, foreign guests and Danish dignitaries will attend.

Will Princess Mary and Prince Frederik be involved?

Yes, the Crown Prince couple, as they're often referred to, will be there by Queen Margrethe's side at a number of events.

Australian-born Princess Mary has already been named in a number of official events on the day and will likely feature prominently again during the postponed celebrations.

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark with Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary, Prince Christian, Princess Isabella, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine in May, 2021. (Danish Royal Household/Franne Voigt)

Heir-to-the-throne Prince Frederik will be by his 81-year-old mother's side for a great deal of engagements.

It's not know what (if any) role Mary and Frederik's four children — Prince Christian, Princess Isabella, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine — will have in the festivities.

Although, the children were all expected to make an appearance on the balcony of Christian IX's Palace at Amalienborg on January 15 when the jubilee plans were first announced. It's not known how the delays will impact this event.

Who else will be attending?

The official guest lists for the gala events are yet to be announced and their size will probably depend on the coronavirus situation closer to the new September dates.

Queen Margrethe is related to the Duke of Edinburgh, so if Queen Elizabeth went to Denmark for the celebrations, it wouldn't be a big surprise.

(Front L-R)Queen Silvia Of Sweden, Queen Margrethe II Of Denmark, Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Beatrix Of The Netherlands, Queen Sofia Of Spain(Back L-R) Prince Henrik Of Denmark, Queen Paola of Belgium, King Albert II Of Belgium, King Juan Carlos Of Spain, Queen Sonja Of Norway, King Harald Of Norway, Duke Of Edinburgh, King Carl Gustaf Of Sweden, Maria Teresa Grand Duchess Of Luxembourg, Henri Grand Duke Of Luxembourg, Grand Duke Jean Of Luxembourg, Grand Duchess Josephine Charlotte Of Luxembourg (Tim Graham Photo Library via Get)

Similarly, the Danish monarch is related to many of the Kings and Queens across Europe.

So Queen Maxima of The Netherlands and King Willem-Alexander, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain, as well as Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden are all likely to receive invites.

How else is the Golden Jubilee being celebrated?

A commemorative coin and commemorative stamps were announced just days out from the big anniversary.

The 20-krone ($4.25) coin features a new portrait of the Queen in profile facing right as designed by the sculptor Kathrine S Moseholm.

On the reverse, there's a pattern created by the use of the number 50, to symbolise the Golden Jubilee.

The motif was created by the national bank's design director, Jeanette Skov Jensen, and the palace says it "creates a visual reference to Amalienborg's four mansions and the castle square".

The stamps being issued are the work of illustrator and engraver Martin Mörck, who took photos of the Queen in her Greenlandic and Faroese national costume, taken by photographer Steen Brogaard in the Dome Hall at Fredensborg Castle last year, and turned them into hybrid photographic and illustrated stamps.

For a daily dose of 9Honey, subscribe to our newsletter here.

Queen Margrethe of Denmark's life in pictures