SHARE
COPY LINK

ROYAL FAMILY

Danish queen tests positive for Covid-19 after Elizabeth II funeral

Denmark's Queen Margrethe II, who attended the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in London, has tested positive for Covid-19, the royal palace announced Wednesday.

Danish queen tests positive for Covid-19 after Elizabeth II funeral
Denmark's Queen Margrethe, who attended the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in London on Monday, has tested positive for Covid-19. File photo: Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix

The 82-year-old triple-vaccinated queen, who already had Covid in February, tested positive on Tuesday evening, the palace said in a statement, a day after the funeral.

“The Queen’s activities this week have therefore been cancelled,” it said, without giving details of her condition.

Margrethe came to the throne at the age of 31 in January 1972 on the death of her father, Frederik IX, becoming the first woman to hold the position of reigning queen in Denmark.

With the death of Queen Elizabeth II, she is now the longest reigning monarch in Europe.

Only the Sultan of Brunei exceeds her by four years.

While fewer than half of Danes were in favour of the monarchy at the time of her accession, the royal family is one of the most popular in the world, enjoying the support of more than 80 percent of the population.

Widowed in 2018, she has repeatedly insisted she will never step down from her duties.

“I will stay on the throne until I drop,” she has said.

Her eldest of two sons, 54-year-old Crown Prince Frederik, is due to succeed her when the time comes.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

CULTURE

Queen Margrethe to design set for ballet at Copenhagen Tivoli

Queen Margrethe may have abdicated as Denmark's monarch but she hasn't given up her side job as a set designer, returning to the role for a performance of Hans Christian Andersen's Blockhead Hans this summer.

Queen Margrethe to design set for ballet at Copenhagen Tivoli

A ballet baseed on the popular fairy tale, called Klods-Hans in Danish, will be performed this summer in the Pantomine Theatre at the Tivoli Gardens amusement park, which celebrates its 150th year in 2024. 

“There are so many possibilities in the fairy tale about Blockhead Hans, who is a person you can’t help but like, and that gives us many possibilities on stage,” Margrethe said in the press release issued by Tivoli. 

Queen Margrethe has previously designed the sets for six performances at the Pantomime Theater, including those for “Cinderella”, “The Tinder Box” and “The Swineheard”, all stories by Hans Christian Andersen. 

Margrethe has also helped to create the two critically acclaimed ballets at Tivoli’s Concert Hall, “The Nutcracker” and “The Snow Queen”, where she has created more than 100 costumes and numerous stage images.

“I have tried to make performances for the Pantomime Theater before and have a good feeling for what works well on the small stage. I am looking forward to getting started with that together with the other forces behind the show,” she said. 

Tobias Praetorius, choreographer and soloist at the Royal Ballet, is behind the choreography for the ballet performance. Conductor and TV host Phillip Faber has written the music.

“It has been exciting work to make the orchestra’s sound merge with Andersen’s story, Tobias’ thoughts and choreography and Queen Margrethe’s visual universe,” Faber said in the announcement.

Blockhead Hans will be performed approximately 30 times in Tivoli over the summer, with the premiere on June 22nd.

SHOW COMMENTS