84-year-old Queen Margrethe II, who became the longest-serving living monarch in Europe in 2022 upon the death of her third cousin, Queen Elizabeth II, is a style icon when it comes to embracing the eccentric and giving space to gestures of grandeur
“I have decided that now is the right time. On 14th January, 2024 – 52 years after I succeeded my beloved father – I will step down as queen of Denmark,” Queen Margrethe II of Denmark said on live television on New Year's Eve. “Thank you to the many, many people who on special occasions and in everyday life have embraced me and my family with kind words and thoughts, turning the years into a string of pearls.”
In 1972 at the age of 31, Queen Margrethe II ascended the throne after the death of her father Frederik IX. And every year, she has delivered a message on 31st December to wish her country well for the coming year – but the latest speech came with a surprise to the public: that it would be her last.
Queen Margrethe II was the the first female monarch of Denmark since Margrethe I, ruler of the Scandinavian kingdoms in 1375–1412. A somewhat unconventional – she is a self taught artist and has taken on the role of set designer for Netflix’s recent project Ehrengard by Bille August – she became a style icon through her love of colour, accessories and devil-may-care attitude. Queen Margrethe II’s wardrobe is a lesson in dressing without fear, embracing the eccentric and giving space to gestures of grandeur.
Here, we take a walk down memory lane of some of her best sartorial hits through the years.