Queen Margrethe II of Denmark has been seen in public for the first time since undergoing a major operation two months ago.
Affectionately known as ‘Aunt Daisy’ in European royal circles, Queen Margrethe is a Cambridge graduate who has worked extensively within the arts
Queen Margrethe, who has made headlines in recent months after stripping four of her grandchildren of their royal titles, is due to return to official duties on 16 April, her 83rd birthday, but made a low-key appearance at the doors of Fredensborg Castle, on the shore of Lake Esrum, as she continues her recovery.
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A video shared by the Danish royal family shows the queen holding a walking stick as she made her way to the front door to wave at the gathered crowd, many of whom were carrying flaming torches that lit up the night sky. ‘In the glow of hundreds of torches, Her Majesty the Queen was recently welcomed home to Fredensborg Castle by the townspeople,’ the caption explains. ‘Since 1988, the city of Fredensborg has organised a torchlight procession in connection with the relocation of the residence to the North Zealand castle. At the evening's event, Her Majesty thanked her for the welcome and sang along with those present to “Der er et yndigt land”.’
After an operation on her back in February, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark made her return at Christian IX’s Palace at Amalienborg on Sunday
Queen Margrethe, who is Europe’s longest reigning monarch and the world’s only reigning female monarch, spent more than a week in Rigshospitalet, a leading hospital in Copenhagen, after the ‘extensive’ procedure on her back on 22 February. She is undergoing a ‘lengthy’ rehabilitation process, the Danish royal house announced in a previous statement. Although her recovery is ‘going well’, the queen has been unable to carry out a number of planned engagements.
She is also set to miss the Coronation of her distant cousin King Charles III. The Danish royal family announced that Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary will travel to London for the 6 May service but made no mention of the queen.
Prince Joachim, the younger son of Queen Margrethe II, will move to America in the latest development in the Danish royal family saga
However, the date has been set for her return to royal duties. After months out of the public eye, Margrethe is expected to join her family on the balcony of Christian IX’s Palace at Amalienborg at midday on her birthday of 16 April. Until she is fully recovered, Crown Prince Frederik continues to act as regent. It was recently announced that her youngest son, Prince Joachim, will move to Washington DC with his family this summer – months after Queen Margrethe stripped his four children of their royal titles.
At the start of the year, Prince Joachim’s four children, Nikolai, 23, Felix, 20, Henrik, 13, and Athena, 11 were stripped of the prince and princess titles they had held since birth. As of January, they lost their royal statuses, becoming the Counts and Countess of Monpezat. The queen later apologised for the hurt the decision caused.
