Support for the monarchy in Denmark, alongside her personal popularity, gradually rose throughout the course of her reign, attaining around eighty percent by the time of her abdication.

[3] At the time of her birth, only males could ascend the throne of Denmark, owing to the changes in succession laws enacted in the 1850s when the Glücksburg branch was chosen to succeed.

[9] The process of changing the constitution started in 1947, not long after Margrethe's father ascended the throne and it became clear that Queen Ingrid would have no more children.

The popularity of Frederik and his daughters and the more prominent role of women in Danish life started the complicated process of altering the constitution.

[3] Laborde de Monpezat received the style and title of "His Royal Highness Prince Henrik of Denmark" because of his new position as the spouse of the heir presumptive to the Danish throne.

[2] Margrethe announced in 2008 that her male-line descendants would bear the additional title of Count or Countess of Monpezat in recognition of her husband's ancestry.

On 3 January 1972, three days after King Frederik IX delivered his New Year's address, he suffered a heart attack and was admitted to the Copenhagen Municipal Hospital.

The king died on 14 January, and Margrethe acceded the throne at the age of 31, becoming the first female Danish sovereign under the new Act of Succession.

[2] Her motto was "God's help, the love of the people, Denmark's strength" (Danish: Guds hjælp, folkets kærlighed, Danmarks styrke).

[17] Each party has the choice of selecting a royal investigator to lead these negotiations or alternatively, give the incumbent prime minister the mandate to continue his or her government as is.

The leader who, at that meeting, succeeds in securing a majority of the seats in the Folketing, is, by royal decree, charged with the task of forming a new government.

Every year on 1 January, a banquet was held for the government, the Speaker of the Danish Parliament, representatives of official Denmark and the Royal Court at Christian VIII's Palace at Amalienborg.

We welcome them and are probably also a little proud that they have chosen our little paradise, but when we see them fumbling with our way of life and our language, hospitality becomes difficult all too quickly, and disappointment sets in on both sides.

[28] In an interview within the 2016 book De dybeste rødder (The Deepest Roots), according to historians at the Saxo Institute of the University of Copenhagen, Margrethe showed a change in attitude to immigration towards a more conservative stance.

[29][30] Margrethe marked her Silver Jubilee in 1997 with a religious service and a gala dinner attended by fellow Scandinavian royals.

[31] This was marked by a church service, concert, carriage procession, gala banquet at Christiansborg Palace and numerous TV interviews.

[32] Between Elizabeth II's death and her abdication, Margrethe was Europe's longest-reigning monarch, the world's only queen regnant, and the longest-serving incumbent female head of state.

[33] In July 2023, the Danish Royal House recognized Margrethe II as Denmark's longest reigning sitting monarch.

[34] In her annual live broadcast New Year's Eve address on 31 December 2023, Margrethe announced her abdication, which took place on 14 January 2024, the 52nd anniversary of her accession to the throne.

She cited her extensive back surgery in February 2023, and said that the operation made her reassess her position and consider "whether now would be an appropriate time to pass on the responsibility to the next generation".

[46] On 21 September 2022, the Danish Royal House disclosed in a press release that Margrethe had tested positive for COVID-19 a second time after attending the state funeral of Elizabeth II, her third cousin, in London.

"[58] A 2012 poll showed support for the monarchy in Denmark remained consistently high at around 82%, compared to less than half when she ascended the throne in 1972.

[62] She shared this interest with her grandfather, Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden, with whom she spent some time unearthing artefacts near Etruria in 1962.

[63] She has designed a chasuble for Fredensborg Palace Church which was since embroidered by her mother, Queen Ingrid, and appliquéd by her sister, Princess Benedikte.

Sealed with a protective lacquer, the Queen's découpage works generally have references to literary, mythological or art-historical topics.

[66] Margrethe's découpage works have also been used in various books and films, including Prince Henrik's poetry collections Cantabile (2000) and Frihjul (2010).

The embroideries are made from patterns that Margrethe herself creates on graph paper, which includes twining shapes and the recipient's monogram.

The Queen has designed several embroideries for the Danish Handcraft Guild, including patterns for calendars, cushion covers and dinner mats.

[72] She designed the costumes for the Royal Danish Ballet's production of A Folk Tale and for the 2009 Peter Flinth film, De vilde svaner (The Wild Swans).

Under the title From mountains to coast, she and her close friend, Queen Sonja of Norway, exhibited selected works inspired by nature at the Barony Rosendal in 2015.