Margaret of Denmark, 50 years on the throne of a painter, smoker, polyglot and foul-mouthed queen | People

This January 14, Margaret of Denmark celebrates 50 years as sovereign of her country. But he was about to not occupy the throne, which was going to go straight to his uncle Canuto. It was not her destiny: the law did not allow it because she was a woman. It took two parliaments and a referendum to approve that Margarita Alexandrina Thorhildur Ingrid could become heir. The eldest of the three daughters of Frederick IX came to the world a week after Nazi Germany invaded Denmark and after her came Benedicta and Ana María – now the wife of Constantine of Greece – but no boys. This meant that, as he ascended to the throne in 1947, Federico wanted to make sure that his first-born, then only seven years old, became his heir. It cost him a good constitutional setup and almost six years of legal battle.

Then, Margarita was still more than 20 years away from becoming queen. She enjoyed her crown princess days, her early days, her marriage, and her children. The French Enrique de Monpezat was not a common bet for a consort, but it was the one that she decided herself. Together they had two children, a relatively low number for a queen. But they were both male. And the years have shown that the monarch has not always had it easy with the men of her family.

If her husband Henry did not like the title of prince (he always longed for that of king consort) or his role as second son – reasons why he even moved to France for decades to escape the court – tensions soared when they arrived. Federico, the current heir, and Joaquín. With the first-born everything went well until the arrival of Mary Donaldson, his wife, with whom the queen took a long time to connect. With Joaquín the father’s pattern was repeated: the complicated management of considering himself a vase brother, a loose verse and, nevertheless, always observed.

Margarita, who also bears among her names Thorhidur, which literally means Thor’s warrior, has fought against internal family tensions and has nevertheless managed to become a beloved queen, who knows how to be close to her people. For his 80th birthday, celebrated less than a year ago, he did not hesitate to show himself in a nightgown in snapshots in which palace employees sang to him from a distance. Or, when her husband died four years ago – who expressly asked to be cremated, breaking the tradition of being buried with the monarch in her three million euro grave – she declared: “We loved each other very much. It was a really passionate love for both parties. ” Some surprising statements after 40 years of marriage by a reigning figure, who also confessed that it was “overwhelming” to see how much Enrique cared for his people, despite the elusive and capricious character of the consort. “I would have liked my husband to experience a little of all that sympathy,” he went on to say. But in Denmark no one complained about his lament.

Despite her family tensions, this inveterate ex-smoker, who publicly gave up tobacco in 2006 but has never done so privately, has formed a clan with eight grandchildren who guarantee her replacement to the throne and whom she sees often. Although she is sincere: “Definitely, I am not the best grandmother in the world,” she told a Swedish newspaper in 2019. “I think it is wonderful that mothers and grandmothers hug children a lot. I’m not that good at it. ” And he finished: “I do not have any kind of angelic patience.” But no one in his country receives these ideas as anything other than a valuable display of his sincerity and character.

Another of the dichotomies that characterize her so well is in her training and her tastes. She was educated at Cambridge, London and the Sorbonne, studied Political Science, Economics and Archeology, speaks five languages ​​to perfection … but what interests her are manual jobs. Under the pseudonym Ingahild Grathmer, Margarita has written short stories and translated and illustrated books (including the Danish version of The Lord of the rings), loves to embroider (years ago she sewed a cover for a bag for her daughter-in-law Mary) and has designed costumes for works such as Wild swans, in 2009, where she played a small role as a peasant, The Nutcracker, in 2017 or recently for the Netflix movie Honor guard. His paintings and embroidery have even been exhibited in museums.

Ten years ago, when she was turning 40 on the throne, Margarita gave many interviews, gave a great gala party with other European monarchs and princes and took a mass bath with a carriage ride through the streets of Copenhagen. This Golden Jubilee will have to be more discreet for Daisy, as she is affectionately called in the family, even in other royal houses. He has given a great interview for which 18 Danes have come to Fredensborg Palace to ask him questions in person, and where he has allowed himself to be questioned about their privileges (he is very aware of them, as were his parents, and tries to instill in them that same alerts her children and grandchildren), about whether she likes to have dinner watching TV (she is in favor of separating both activities) or when she will come down from the throne. To the latter he replied that he will not do it because, as he always declares when he has the opportunity, his is a public service that will last until his death. Although he would like to embroider more.