2023-04-16 14:56:25
ROYAL FAMILY
Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II on Sunday appeared in public to celebrate her 83rd birthday, as she was due to officially resume her royal duties following back surgery in late February.
Published: 16 April 2023 15:08 CEST
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark in 2019. Photo: Ritzau/Ints Kalnins
Accompanied by the royal family, the queen waved at the crowd from the balcony of the Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen.
“Let us now shout ten cheers for Denmark. Long live Denmark,” the queen told the large crowd that had gathered outside the palace.
Danish media reported that the public greeting was the first appearance with the whole royal family gathered after the queen stripped the four children of her youngest son, 53-year-old Prince Joachim, of their royal titles.
Prince Joachim publicly expressed his frustration with the decision and the sovereign apologised, but did not change it.
A polyglot known for her sharp wit and chain smoking, Margrethe ascended to the throne in January 1972 and became Europe’s longest serving head of state, and the world’s second longest reigning monarch, when Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022.
In February, the royal court announced that the Queen would “undergo extensive surgery” as a result of “problems with her back” and that Crown Prince Frederik would handle the royal duties while she recovered.
In March, the court announced that she would be officially resuming those duties as she celebrated her 83rd birthday.
“The queen’s rehabilitation is going well, but there will still be a number of major tasks that the queen will not be able to complete as planned in the coming months,” the court said in a statement.
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