She was to bring the pawned province of Nørrejylland, one quarter of the territory of Jutland north of the Kongeå river, as a dowry.

A traditional theory was that king Valdemar had queen Helvig repudiated and imprisoned with her household at Søborg Castle for adultery.

Another theory claims, that it was queen Helvig who separated from king Valdemar because of his adultery with his mistress Tove, and that she moved to Esrum Abbey in 1355.

Helvig is confirmed to have lived separate from Valdemar at Esrum Abbey, where she eventually died as a lay sister, noted by the monks as famula nostra ('our servant').

In 1377, queen Margaret successfully asked the pope for permission to rebury her mother at Sorø, though this plan was never realized.