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QUEEN MARGRETHE II'S 75TH BIRTHDAY

ROYALS

Queen Margrethe still beloved by Danes at 75

A vast majority of Danes said in a poll released the day before the queen's birthday that they don't want her to step down, even though they also express a readiness for Frederik.

Published: 15 April 2015 14:54 CEST
Queen Margrethe still beloved by Danes at 75
Queen Margrethe and Prince Consort Henrik were driven by coach through Aarhus last week. Photo: Henning Bagger/Scanpix
As Queen Margrethe II prepares to celebrate her 75th birthday on Thursday, she has already been given a great gift from her people. 
 
A new opinion poll released on Wednesday showed that the queen is still largely beloved by Danes and that they are in no hurry to see her abdicate the throne, which she has held since 1972.
 
Just 18 percent of respondents in a Megafon poll conducted for TV2 and Politiken thought that the queen should step down now. 
 
But when it is her time to go, Danes are positive about Crown Prince Frederik’s abilities to serve as an ample replacement. According to the poll results, 73 percent think Frederik is well cut out to be king. 
 
The poll results are a sign that the Royal Family is riding a high, according to historian Sebastian Olden-Jørgensen. 
 
“There is a strong majority that believes Frederik will do a good job if he takes the throne now. But still the majority opinion is ‘not now, thank you very much.’ That in someways is contradictory but it reflects the Royal Family’s double success: the queen is solidly popular and is still fully capable. On the other hand, there is great satisfaction with Frederik,” he told Politiken. 
 
Olden-Jørgensen doesn’t foresee Frederik taking his mother’s place soon. 
 
“National symbols don’t step down just because of age, at least not in Denmark. A massive drop in popularity – like what happened in Spain – could be a reason, but it is unlikely,” he said. 
 
When Queen Margrethe hits her milestone on Thursday, she will have a full day of celebrations, both public and private. The day will begin with a family birthday party at 8.30am at Fredensborg Palace in northern Zealand. 
 
The Royal Family will then make her way to Amalienborg, where true to tradition she will wave to the gathered masses at 12pm. The queen will then be driven by coach through the streets of Copenhagen to the City Hall, where she will attend a lunch reception hosted by Mayor Frank Jensen. 
 
The three royals will be driven through Copenhagen in a coach that dates back to 1864 under the rule of King Christian IX. At Copenhagen City Hall, they are expected to make a balcony appearance at 2pm.
 
The Royal Family has announced that 80-year-old Prince Consort Henrik is suffering from the flu and thus will be unable to partake in the birthday festivities. Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary will instead accompany Queen Margrethe at her public appearances. 
 
See the queen’s coach route here:

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ROYALS

How a German castle has sparked civil war in Monaco’s royal family

Prince Ernst August of Hanover, the husband of Princess Caroline of Monaco, is suing his son to win back control of a German castle and prevent it from falling into public hands, a court has said.

Published: 17 February 2021 08:49 CET
How a German castle has sparked civil war in Monaco's royal family
Marienburg Castle in Lower Saxony pictured during the recent snow. Photo: DPA

Ernst August, 66, gave his son the fairytale-like Marienburg castle and several other properties between 2004 and 2007, but now wants them back citing  “gross ingratitude”, the district court of Hanover said in a statement on Tuesday.

It is the latest public spat to hit the aristocratic family, whosepatriarch has over the years been nicknamed “the party prince” and even “the brawling prince” over his jetset lifestyle and drunken escapades.

According to the court statement, Ernst August filed a lawsuit at the end of last year seeking to revoke the gifts of Marienburg Castle, the Calenburg manor house and a royal property in Herrenhausen.

He accuses his son, Ernst August junior, of acting against his wishes and going behind his back by offering Marienburg Castle to the state of Lower Saxony as public property – partly because of the huge costs of maintaining the mid-19th century Gothic-style building.

READ ALSO: Just one sixth of Germans want own monarchy back

The plaintiff, who lives in Austria, also accuses his son of improperly appropriating artworks and antiques owned by the family.

Ernst August senior estimates the total value of the disputed properties and items at some five million euros, the court said.

Ernst August junior, 37, told German news agency DPA that the case had no merit, saying all the arguments raised “have already been invalidated out-of-court in the past”.

He said the deal struck to transfer ownership of Marienburg Castle to the regional authorities of Lower Saxony was “legally secure”.

“There's nothing that stands in the way of the long-term preservation of Marienburg as a central cultural monument of Lower Saxony, open to all,” he said.

The court has not yet set a date for a hearing.

Ernst August senior has been feuding for years with his son over the family's royal properties.

So severe was the spat that he declined his official consent to his son's 2017 marriage to Russian-born fashion designer Ekaterina Malysheva and stayed away from the wedding.

Princess Caroline, who has been separated from her husband since 2009, did attend the nuptials.

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