Crown Princess Mary celebrates Golden Jubilee of Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II

Aussie Queen-in-waiting Princess Mary marked the 50-year reign of Denmark’s Queen Margrethe in typical style.

Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II celebrated 50 years on the throne with scaled-down festivities limited by Covid restrictions despite the huge popularity of the artistic, chain-smoking monarch.

Australian-born Crown Princess Mary and Crown Prince Frederik were among the guests celebrating the second longest-serving monarch in Danish history — and the first woman to hold the position of the reigning queen.

The 49-year-old Tasmanian and her husband greeted guests while visiting the tomb of Frederick IX of Denmark at Roskilde Cathedral for the 50th anniversary of Queen Margrethe II to the throne.

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark speaks to Princess Mary of Denmark. Picture: AFP.

A bundled-up Margrethe later took part in a wreath-laying ceremony at her parents’ grave at the red-brick cathedral, west of Copenhagen, under sunny but blustery skies.

At 81 years old, Queen Margrethe came to power amid waning support for the royals in 1972 but is now beloved for her unifying presence.

Princess Mary will become the Queen of Denmark when Frederik ascends the throne after the death or abdication of Margrethe.

Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark. Photo: Getty Images.

In her five decades on the throne, Margrethe has sidestepped scandal and helped to modernise the institution, making the Danish royal family one of the most popular in the world.

Fredriksen said the queen was “elected by the people” in a “democratic vote in 1953” when a change to the Danish succession law enabled women to inherit the throne.

A 2018 Voxmeter poll found that more than three-quarters of Danes supported the monarchy, while only 14.6 per cent wanted the Scandinavian country to become a republic.

She acceded to the throne aged 31 on a foggy January day upon the death of her father Frederik IX.

Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark. Photo: AFP.

The grief-stricken mother of two young boys — she now has eight grandchildren — was the first woman to become a reigning queen in Europe’s oldest monarchy.

She took her reign name Margrethe II after Margrethe I who ruled Denmark from 1375-1412 but never formally held the title.

“She has a strong sense of duty and never questioned her destiny,” said historian Tom Buk-Swienty.

Widowed in 2018, the queen, affectionately nicknamed Daisy by her subjects, has gradually modernised the monarchy to keep it relevant, without diminishing its status.

“When she became queen, only 45 per cent of Danes were in favour of the monarchy,” journalist Gitte Redder, who has authored several books on the Danish royals, told AFP.

“They didn’t believe in a monarchy in a modern democracy.” That has changed.

“The basis of her popularity is that the queen is absolutely non-political,” historian Lars Hovebakke Sorensen told AFP.

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark waves after visiting the tomb of her father. Picture: AFP.

“She has managed to be a queen who has united the Danish nation in a time of large changes: globalisation, the appearance of the multicultural state, economic crises in the 1970s, 1980s and again in 2008 to 2015, and the pandemic,” he said.

She has been the face of an open and hardworking monarchy, allowed her sons to marry commoners like Princess Mary, and has herself been involved in Denmark’s cultural scene.

Larger celebrations have been postponed until September and include a palace dinner, a parade through Copenhagen, service at Copenhagen Cathedral and a gala performance at the Royal Theatre.

With her 82nd birthday approaching in April, Margrethe has repeatedly insisted she will never step down from her duties.

“I will stay on the throne until I drop,” she has said.

Originally published as Crown Princess Mary celebrates Golden Jubilee of Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II