Margrethe II of Denmark in the context of "Prince Joachim of Denmark"

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⭐ Core Definition: Margrethe II of Denmark

Margrethe II (Danish: [mɑˈkʁeˀtə]; Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, born 16 April 1940) is a member of the Danish royal family who reigned as Queen of Denmark from 14 January 1972 until her abdication on 14 January 2024. Having reigned for exactly 52 years, she was the second-longest-reigning Danish monarch after Christian IV.

Margrethe was born into the House of Glücksburg, a cadet branch of the House of Oldenburg, during the reign of her paternal grandfather, King Christian X. She is the eldest child of King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid. She became heir presumptive to her father in 1953 when a constitutional amendment allowed women to inherit the throne. In 1967 she married Henri de Laborde de Monpezat, with whom she had two sons, Frederik and Joachim. Margrethe succeeded her father upon his death in January 1972.

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Margrethe II of Denmark in the context of Act of Succession (Denmark)

The Act of Succession of 27 March 1953 (Danish: tronfølgeloven) is an act adopted after a 1953 referendum in Denmark and dictates the rules governing the succession to the Danish throne. The 1953 referendum changed the act so that it became possible for a woman to inherit the throne if she has no brothers, a system known as male-preference cognatic preference primogeniture. As the reigning King Frederik IX had three daughters and no sons, this made Princess Margrethe heiress presumptive to the throne, replacing her uncle Prince Knud. As Frederik IX's wife Queen Ingrid was not expected to (and did not) have any more children, this effectively ensured that Princess Margrethe would become Queen of Denmark, which she did in 1972. The act also removed the succession rights of minor members of the House of Glücksburg.

Following a referendum in 2009, the Act of Succession was amended so that primogeniture no longer puts males over females, meaning the first-born child would become heir apparent to the throne regardless of gender. The expected result of the referendum was on the balance, since 40% of the entire electorate had to vote yes in order to make the change. However, the succession amendment was confirmed by a larger turnout especially in rural areas. The change of the act had no effect on the expected line of succession at the time, but would affect the line of succession among the then Crown Prince Frederick's younger children, putting Princess Isabella (who was born in 2007) ahead of her younger brother Prince Vincent (born in 2011).

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Margrethe II of Denmark in the context of Henri de Laborde de Monpezat

Prince Henrik of Denmark (Danish pronunciation: [ˈhenˀʁek]; born Henri Marie Jean André de Laborde de Monpezat; 11 June 1934 – 13 February 2018) was the husband of Margrethe II of Denmark. He served as her royal consort from Margrethe's accession on 14 January 1972 until his death in 2018.

Henrik was born in the French commune of Talence near Bordeaux to an old French family, the Laborde de Monpezats. He spent his early years in Tonkin in French Indochina (now part of Vietnam), where his family had lived for many years. The family spent the Second World War at the family home in Cahors, France. They returned to French Indochina after the war. However, they were forced to flee following the defeat of the French in the First Indochina War. After completing his education in France and Vietnam, Henrik served in the French Army during the Algerian War. Prior to his marriage to Margrethe, he worked in the diplomatic service. He married Margrethe at the Holmen Church on 10 June 1967 and became her prince consort when she succeeded her father, King Frederik IX, as monarch of Denmark on 14 January 1972.

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Margrethe II of Denmark in the context of Count of Monpezat

Count of Monpezat (Danish: Greve af Monpezat), or Countess of Monpezat (Danish: Komtesse af Monpezat) when the holder is female, is a hereditary title of Danish nobility. It was granted on 30 April 2008 by Queen Margrethe II to her two sons, Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim, and their legitimate patrilineal (male-line) descendants. The title is derived from the French title of "comte de Laborde de Monpezat", which was used by Frederik and Joachim's father, Prince Henrik. His family started using this title as a title of pretense in republican France in the late 19th century.

The title can only be passed down the male line, but unmarried daughters of a count hold the courtesy title komtesse (derived from the French word for countess). The wife of a count holds the courtesy title grevinde (the Danish word for countess). A komtesse (a count's daughter) cannot pass on the title to her husband or children.

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Margrethe II of Denmark in the context of Golden Coupé (Denmark)

The Golden Coupé (Danish: Guldkareten), also known as State Coach No. 1 (Danish: Statskaret Nr. 1), is the finest of the carriages still used by the Danish royal family. Built in Henry Fife's Copenhagen workshop in 1839–1840, it was first used by Christian VIII. Since then, it has been used by all Danish monarchs. It is used today by Margrethe II for the annual New Year's levee in January as well as for special occasions, such as jubilees and state visits.

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Margrethe II of Denmark in the context of Knud, Hereditary Prince of Denmark

Knud, Hereditary Prince of Denmark (Knud Christian Frederik Michael; 27 July 1900 – 14 June 1976) was a member of the Danish royal family, the younger son and child of King Christian X and Queen Alexandrine.

From 1947 to 1953, he was heir presumptive to his older brother, King Frederik IX, and would have succeeded him as king following his death in January 1972 had it not been for a change in the Danish Act of Succession that replaced him with his niece, Queen Margrethe II. Later, Knud's two sons, Ingolf and Christian, were stripped of their titles of prince and removed from the line of succession by the new law because they had married commoners without asking consent from their uncle.

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Margrethe II of Denmark in the context of 2009 Danish Act of Succession referendum

A referendum on changing the Danish Act of Succession, the rules governing the succession to the Danish throne, was held in Denmark, the Faroe Islands, and Greenland on 7 June 2009, simultaneously with the election to the European Parliament, in Denmark proper.

The law, which passed with 85% of the popular vote, eliminates male-preference primogeniture in favour of absolute primogeniture, resulting in sons losing precedence over daughters in the line of succession. The law did not affect anyone in the line of succession at the time of the referendum: the Queen's two children are both male, as is the Crown Prince's eldest child, born in 2005. However, had the referendum not been successful, Prince Vincent, who was born in 2011, would have been higher in the line of succession than his elder sister Princess Isabella, born in 2007.

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Margrethe II of Denmark in the context of Holmen Church

The Holmen Church (Danish: Holmens Kirke) is a Parish church in central Copenhagen in Denmark, on the street called Holmens Kanal. First built as an anchor forge in 1563, it was converted into a naval church by Christian IV. It is famous for having hosted the wedding in 1967 between Margrethe II of Denmark, queen of Denmark between 1972 and 2024, and Prince Henrik. It is the burial site of such notabilities as naval heroes Niels Juel and Peter Tordenskjold, and composer Niels Wilhelm Gade, and contains artwork by, among others, Bertel Thorvaldsen and Karel van Mander.

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