#queen margrethe the second of Denmark

[snigepippi]

Our Queen's been regent for 50 years

[everythingroyalty]

50 YEARS OF QUEEN MARGRETHE II OF DENMARK

At 7:50 pm CET on 14 January 1972, King Frederik IX of Denmark dies at the Copenhagen Municipal Hospital. His eldest daughter, 31-year-old Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, succeeds him as Margrethe II and becomes the first ever female Danish monarch.

Contrary to popular belief, the 14th century Scandinavian regent and founder of the Kalmar Union, Margrete Valdemarsdatter, who is widely known as Margrethe I, was never actually crowned queen in her own right. However, upon Margrethe II’s accession in 1972, she opted to be known as Margrethe II in recognition of Margrethe I’s importance to Danish history.

On 14 January 2022, Queen Margrethe II celebrates her Golden Jubilee. Having reigned for exactly 50 years, Queen Margrethe II is the second longest-serving monarch in Danish history – only surpassed by Christian IV who reigned for 59 years and 330 days after having succeeded to the throne at the age of 11.

[world-of-wales]

The Duchess of Cambridge was formally welcomed to Denmark by Queen Margrethe II at Christian IX's Palace in Copenhagen on 23 February 2022 during the second day of Catherine's visit to the country focusing on Early Childhood Development.

[princesscatherinemiddleton]

HRH The Duchess of Cambridge at Christian IX’s Palace, in Amalienborg, where she was officially welcomed by Queen Margrethe on the second day of her working visit to Denmark | February 23 2022

[scotianostra]

On April 14th 1578 James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell , Earl of Orkney and third husband of Mary Queen of Scots died, aged 44, tied to a post in a dungeon at, Denmark.

As I posted on Monday Bothwell fled Scotland after the surrender at Carberry Hill, Queen Mary’s last act of love for him was guaranteeing he could leave the area unharmed.

Bothwell took ship from Aberdeen to Shetland, he may have stopped off in Orkney, the only thing we know is he was denied refuge there and travelled on to Shetland.

He was pursued by Sir William Kirkcaldy of Grange and  William Murray of Tullibardine who it seems were not that far behind him. They sailed into Bressay Sound near Lerwick.  Four of Bothwell’s ships in the Sound set sail north to Unst where Hepburn and his cousin, the pirate, Olaf Sinclair were negotiating with German captains to hire more ships. Kirkcaldy’s flagship The Lion, chased one of Bothwell’s ships, and both ships were damaged on a submerged rock.

Bothwell sent his treasure ship to Scalloway  and fought a three-hour-long sea battle off the Port of Unst  where the mast of one of his ships was shot away. During the chase a storm erupted and Bothwell’s superior seamanship to come to his rescue. After transferring his men to his two remaining ships, he sailed south-east before the wind, making the 250-mile crossing in record time Although Kirkcaldy followed for sixty miles, he was out-sailed and, by his own admission, was ‘no good seaman’.

He might have thought he was off the hook again, but no, Frederick II was not sympathetic to his cause,  he was at war, and was torn between his blood ties to Mary Queen of Scots and the need to show loyalty to his Protestant allies. Fortunately for him, the problem solved itself when Mary, held prisoner in England, dissolved her marriage to Bothwell, making him merely a problem to be got rid of from Frederik’s perspective, so he ordered his arrest to be used as a bargaining chip in the forlorn hope that he would be traded in return for the return of the Northern Isle!  

After being brought before the Bergen magistrates, in September he was carried to Copenhagen on one of Frederick’s ships for ‘honourable confinement’ at Dragshorn Castle, the Scandinavian equivalent of the Tower Of London. I found an extract from My Heart is My Own, a biography on Mary Queen of Scots that reads

“On 14th April 1578, Bothwell died at Dragsholm. As was customary for state prisoners, his body was carried to the promontory that juts into the fjord a side of things.  mile or so from the castle and buried at the parish church of Fårevejle. (…) “

There are differing versions on how he lived out his last days, one says he was actually not held in  ‘honourable confinement’, but in a small dungeon chained to a post, the cell so small he was unable to stand, the second is more in the line of the  ‘honourable confinement’ that he spent the last years drinking to excess with others held at the castle and gradually became more and more insane.

John Maxwell, visited Dragshorn Castle, and reported that  Hepburn had latterly become overgrown with hair and filth.  I take it from this he was still alive at the time!

The story doesn’t quite end there, Bothwell’s coffin was opened for the first time in 1868 and a very well-preserved body was found, which subsequently rapidly decayed and, for a period of time, until 1973, was open to public viewing under a glass lid. Then, in response to a request from the descendants of the Hepburn family, the newly-crowned Margrethe II had Bothwell buried in a zinc-lined coffin within a sarcophagus of oak, and here he remains.

Every now and then there is a story in the press about his descendents making an attempt for his body to be repatriated, I have no idea why the Danes would not allow this and for the moment he remains there. Of course with a story like this the castle is said to be haunted by the "good” Earl, where is he said to ride through the courtyard with a full horse and carriage.

The pictures are, the supposed head of Bothwell “ Study of Mummified Head” by Danish artist Otto Bache. The even more gruesome “body of James Hepburn” although  the church where his supposed remains lie was known to have  exhibited several bodies over the years as his, therefore, it is impossible to know if this is actually him.  

There have been moves by his descendants to have his body repatriated through the years   Speaking in 2010  Sir Alastair Buchan-Hepburn, Bothwell's direct descendant sought to raise funds to  lobby the Scottish and Danish governments, saying  "I want the Scottish culture minister to get in touch with his Danish counterpart to ask him 'would you please consider to return the body of James Hepburn, the Earl of Bothwell?'"

James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwells’ remains are now kept in the crypt at the church at Faravejle, near  Dragsholm Castle, as seen in the last pic.

[felipeandletizia]

King Felipe tests positive for COVID again and will not be able to resume his schedule this week

As reported by Casa Real, the monarch is well and has no symptoms but will continue to be isolated at his residence

The King has once again tested positive for COVID-19 in a test made this Tuesday, as reported by Casa Real. Therefore, his schedule of official appearances is suspended for the rest of this week. Felipe's state of health is good, he has no symptoms and in the next few days he will undergo a new test. The head of state was supposed to resume his official duties this Wednesday, but everything depended on his evolution and in the end it has not been possible.

Felipe VI planned to resume his agenda this Wednesday morning at the headquarters of the Diplomatic School of Madrid for the graduation of the 73rd promotion of the Diplomatic Career. The following day, the monarch was going to travel to Sanlúcar de Barrameda on the occasion of the 5th Centenary of the Tour of the World and the designation of the Cadiz town as the Spanish Capital of Gastronomy in 2022.

Last week, the King tested positive after mild symptoms and began his seven-day isolation at his residence. Despite the fact that he canceled his public commitments, he has maintained institutional activity telematically. For their part, the Queen and Infanta Sofía have had no symptoms and have been able to continue their lives normally. In fact, a few days later it was Doña Letizia who confirmed during her visit to the Quirónsalud center in Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid) that the monarch was fine, although she did not give more details.

Don Felipe spends his isolation due to covid in the Prince's pavilion, where he lives with his wife and his daughters, although Princess Leonor is this year in a boarding school in Wales (United Kingdom). It is a mansion of about 1,800 square meters distributed over four floors, the work of the State architect, Manuel del Río, and is located just one kilometer from the Palacio de la Zarzuela. Access to the property is through a garden that includes a pond and once inside the building, a hall gives way to the staircase that leads to the floor where the private rooms of the couple and their daughters are located. On the aforementioned second floor there is a master bedroom with two dressing rooms, two bathrooms and a living room with a fireplace; three more bedrooms with two bathrooms and a small living room, as well as an office, an office and a large terrace. The house is in the Castilian Renaissance style and with Portuguese furniture inherited from the counts of Barcelona.

The new wave of the coronavirus has strongly attacked the members of the Royal Houses. Before Don Felipe, Margrethe of Denmark was infected, and her confinement has already ended. A day after Felipe VI tested positive, it was Prince Charles, who did. The Prince of Wales had already contracted the virus in March 2020, during the first wave, and when vaccines had not yet been developed. Four days later it was the wife of the heir to the throne, the Duchess of Cornwall, who tested positive. The last official commitment of Don Felipe, 54, was an audience at the Royal Palace with a group of colonels and ship captains.

Source

[duchessofostergotlands]

Daisy is the grandmother? Wow, any recommendations of where I can read their family relations? (Spain, Denmark, Sweden)

Thanks!

Hello :) I can find common links between families if you’re interested :)

In Sweden we have the current King and his four sisters Desiree, Birgitta, Margaretha and Christina. Their father was Prince Gustaf Adolf (he died in a plane crash before becoming King which is why CG was such a young king). Gustaf Adolf’s mother was Daisy, who was actually born a British princess and a granddaughter of Queen Victoria.

In Denmark we have the current Queen (named Margrethe after her grandmother and they share the Daisy nickname) and her sisters Benedikte and Queen Anne Marie of Greece. Their mother was Queen Ingrid. Ingrid’s mother was Daisy.

So basically Margrethe’s mother and Carl Gustaf’s father were siblings, they are first cousins. Victoria is therefore a second cousin to Frederik and Haakon, Estelle is a third cousin of IA and Christian. The Scandi royals share cultural and historical links but they are also pretty close family.

I didn’t mention Spain but King Felipe’s maternal uncle is married to Daisy’s granddaughter Anne Marie so his first cousins are Daisy’s great-grandchildren. There will be other connections, distant cousin type stuff. We all expect the royals to be distantly related but there are definitely a few where we forget how close it actually is. Like CG and Margrethe being first cousins or Harald of Norway being Queen Elizabeth’s second cousin. I am always forgetting that Sofia is King Constantine of Greece’s sister.

[grandmaster-anne]

Queen Elizabeth II (third left) and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (second right) pose for a portrait with the Danish Royal family; (L-R) Princess Margrethe, King Frederick IX of Denmark, Queen Ingrid of Sweden, Princess Anne-Marie and Princess Benedikte, at the Royal Palace in Amalienborg, Copenhagen on May 21st 1957.

[tiaramania]

What do you think of the Danish Pearl Poiré Tiaras (and brooch)? Who do you think the twin tiara might have ended up belonging to? The mystery surrounding its whereabouts is so annoying.

I feel like a little background is needed before I can answer the question so for those of you that don’t know the Pearl Poiré Tiara currently worn by Queen Margrethe II of Denmark had a twin.  

I’ve never read anything specifically about the brooch or if I have then I’ve forgotten it as I tend to do with non-tiara information but it looks like there were also twin brooches.  It’s interesting because the design brooch doesn’t exactly match tiara.  They both have drop pearls and foliate parts but then the brooches also have scrolls and flowers.  Both of the pictures below are Princess Louise’s brooch, sometimes Queen Margrethe wears it attached to a pearl necklace which frankly looks uncomfortable.

King Frederick William III of Prussia bought the first set for his daughter, Princess Louise (below left), when she married Prince Frederick of the Netherlands in 1825.  Then he bought the second for his daughter-in-law, Princess Marianne of the Netherlands (below right), when she married Prince Albert in 1830.  Basically one set of siblings married another set of siblings and they were all first cousins so I guess he thought that warranted matching jewelry.  Princess Louise’s tiara traveled to Sweden and then ended up in Denmark where it is now.  

Princess Marianne’s tiara was inherited by her youngest daughter, Princess Alexandrine, Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (below), and from there is seems to have disappeared.  

Alexandrine had a daughter, Charlotte, so it’s likely that she inherited the tiara and brooch if they still existed at the time but I can’t find any pictures of her wearing them.  If I had to guess I’d say they’re long gone, either made into other jewelry or sold and then made into other jewelry.

[thepompandcircumstance]

ETYMOLOGY: Alexandra

‘Alexandra’ is the female form of the name Alexander, a name famously associated with the Macedonian king Alexander III, otherwise known as Alexander the Great. In Greek, the name is written as Ἀλεξάνδρα, and means “defender of mankind” or “one who comes to save warriors”. This name comes in many variations, such as Alexandrine, Alexandria, and Alexandrina.

HM Elizabeth II of the UK [the world’s longest serving monarch bears the full name of Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, after her great-grandmother.]

HM Margrethe II of Denmark [Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid is Denmark’s second queen regnant, after Margaret I.]

HM Queen Alexandra of the UK, Princess of Denmark [the eldest daughter of Christian IX and Louise of Hesse-Kassel, Alix is also the sister of Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia, Frederick VIII of Denmark, and George I of Greece. She is also the namesake of Elizabeth II.]

HIM Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia, Princess of Hesse [Queen Victoria’s favorite granddaughter, Alix is the last empress of the Russian Empire as the consort of Tsar Nicholas II. The Romanov family was executed by the Bolsheviks in 1918.]

HM Queen Alexandra of Yugoslavia [the daughter of King Alexander of Greece and Madame Aspasia Manos, she is the consort of Yugoslavia’s last monarch King Peter II.]

HI&RH Grand Duchess Alexandra Georgievna of Russia, Princess of Greece [the wife of GD Paul Alexandrovich, she is the mother of GD Maria Pavlovna the Younger & GD Dmitri Pavlovich. She sadly died giving birth to her second son.]

[everythingroyalty]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CROWN PRINCESS MARY OF DENMARK (5 February 1972) ✨

On 5 February 1972, Mary Elizabeth Donaldson was born as the fourth and youngest child of Henrietta (née Clark Horne) and John Dalgliesh Donaldson in Hobart on the Australian island Tasmania. Both of her parents were Scottish and she was named for her paternal grandmother (top right, second row) Mary Elizabeth Dalgliesh. Henrietta Donaldson died on 20 November 1997 from complications six weeks after having had cardiac surgery.

Mary graduated from the University of Tasmania with a with a combined Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws degree in 1995, working primarily in advertisement until her engagement in 2003. On 14 May 2004, she married the eldest son of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, Crown Prince Frederik, in the Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen, Denmark, with whom she has four children.

Over the span of her almost 18 years as a member of the Danish royal family, Crown Princess Mary has been dubbed “an almost activistic royal” for dedication to the vulnerable groups of society and her insistence on using her platform to raise awareness subjects such as social justice, women’s rights and LGBTI+ rights. She serves as patron of the UNFPA and WHO among numerous patronages.

She established her own foundation, Mary Fonden, in 2007 with the aim to fight social isolation based on the belief that everyone has the right to belong. Her work with the foundation earned her a Bambi Award in 2014. She became pioneering in her work with LGBTI+ rights when she agreed to be the patron of WorldPride 2021 – making her the first ever royal to serve as patron of a major LGBTI+ event.

On 2 October 2019, Mary was appointed rigsforstander, a functioning regent when the monarch or heir is out of the country. After having sworn on the Danish constitution, she became the first ever member of the Danish royal family not born into royalty to assume the position of a rigsforstander.

[world-of-wales]

THE DUCHESS DIARIES

On 23 February 2022, the Duchess of Cambridge kicked off the second day of her visit to Denmark by visiting the Stenurten Forest Kindergarten in Copenhagen to hear about their approach to learning, which focuses on social and emotional development rather than academic skills.

During her visit she recieved an overview of the kindergarten’s approach before heading outside with children and staff to take part in a number of activities including wood chopping.

Catherine then received the official welcome to Denmark from Queen Margrethe II and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark at Christian IX's Palace in Copenhagen. This visit coincided with the respective Platinum and Golden Jubilees being celebrated in the two nations this year.

Following this Catherine and Mary walked across the Amalienborg Courtyard to Frederik VIII's Palace where they had a private luncheon.

They then visited the Danner Crisis Centre in Copenhagen which is supported by the Mary Foundation and helps women and children who have been exposed to domestic violence.

[princesscatherinemiddleton]

What are your favourite 5 things about your favourite 5 royals?

Catherine (HRH The Duchess of Cambridge)

her work with mental health - as someone who suffers with mental health issues, her work in this field interests me immensely. She’s also been at the forefront of a push to make mental health less taboo and more easily spoken about. Professor Peter Fonagy said she’s “done more to turn the tide of stigma around mental health than any other single individual that I could name”

her work with early years - as a primary school teacher, this is also a field that massively interests me. Something I’ve been pushing is for more mental health support and a wider support for the emotional and mental health of children and their families. It’s something I think would have helped me in my childhood. I’m very excited to see where her work with early years goes

her relationship with her family - both the brf and the middletons. I love that she’s so close to her parents and siblings and I bet she’s the best auntie to little Arthur. I also have always loved how well she has embedded herself with the BRF. Her relationships with Charles, Camilla, Harry, and Zara, in particular, mean the world to me

her babies - mama kmiddy is the love of my life. I can’t believe I’ve watched her go from little Waity Katie to a full on mother of three. George is 7. She will have gone through first teeth, first steps, first words, with all of them. I can’t cope

her fashion - I know everyone in the world says her fashion is boring but it’s very close to my style and that’s just rude. Plus, occasionally she BRINGS IT and I love that

Madeleine (HRH Princess of Sweden)

her family - she had to go through being cheated on in the public eye, in the close aftermath of her sister’s wedding, but she found her prince charming. She’s got three beautiful children and she is so devoted to them. In any walk of life, she would be a stay at home mum, at least until the children got older, and being a mum suits her so much

her work with childhood - the fact she works so closely with a charity founded by her mum is so sweet. She’s also on the board with Childhood Sweden and an honorary board member for Childhood USA. It’s a worldwide charity which covers a particularly important issue and I’m glad that Madde continues to work with it

her relationship with her siblings - Vikkan, Madde, and Lilip are my absolute favourite royal siblings. You can see how close they are in all their interactions and they not only all clearly love each other, but they extend that love to each other’s partners. To watch the go from three siblings in 2010 to three siblings, three spouses, and seven children in 2020 has been an honour

her min stora dag tea party - do you mean my favourite royal event of all time? Madde, in full princess drag, weaing a giant tiara and her orders, sat on the floor with a bunch of seriously ill children. These little princes and princesses were able to eat in a palace, off official antique china, with a real life princess. It makes my heart swell. The fact she brought Leonore was the icing on the cake

her evening looks - I’m back to being shallow but there is one royal who was born to wear evening gowns and tiaras and it’s Madeleine. She looks every inch the fairytale princess in a full on evening gown and she does tiara hair better than anyone

Sofia (HRH Princess of Sweden)

her wedding day - sofia’s wedding was the first non-brf wedding I watched and was actually on the day I started using this blog so it has a special day in my heart. From her wedding dress, to having Estelle in her wedding party, to the performance of Joyful, Joyful, it means a lot to me

her outfit at gabriel’s christening - for years, her outfit at Alexander’s christening was my favourite. But then she pulled out the big guns for Gabriel’s. Being from Dalarna and having her son become the Duke of Dalarna, she rocked up in national dress and stole my heart forever

the way she accepted her role - from her speech about wanting a beach wedding but that not being princess appropriate, to beginning to take on independent roles as a royal, to being accepted by the Swedes, she has taken to her role better than nearly any other married in royal. I’m in awe of how well she’s done it

the way she is still herself - if I have to see anyone else say “she should probably cover her tattoo”, I’m going to scream. She’s Princess Sofia of Sweden but she’s also Sofia, ex-glamour model, and she’s ok with that. She doesn’t try to hide her past but accepts it is part of her and moves on

sophiahemmet - not only do I love the work she’s done with sophiahemmet over the years, but she cemented herself as a forever fave when she started working as a volunteer at the hospital to help during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic. She didn’t need to do that but she did. Every other royal could take a leaf from her book

Marie (HRH Princess of Denmark)

her relationship with alexandra and her step-children - I’m forever in awe at how well she coped with marrying Joachim considering how beloved Alexandra was (and still is) in Denmark. Alexandra and Marie seem to get on really well and Nikolai and Felix (Felix in particular) both appear to have a close relationship with Marie and their half-siblings

her work with food waste - this is such a dull but important topic. The fact she quietly educated herself on the topic, pulled together people who knew a lot about the area, and then began to spread awareness was a very smart way to do it. I’ve loved how she’s including Athena and Henrik with her work in this area

her relationship with denmark - I know everyone talks about how well Mary has coped with moving from Denmark but I think everyone forgets Marie is also from a different country. I loved her little relationship with Henrik, considering they were both French, and I think she’s done a wonderful job of assimilating into a new country and a new culture. Her recent interview, where she said she is Danish and Denmark is her home, but France still has a place in her heart, really pushed this home for me

her dedication to the drf - she married the “spare”, she is the second wife of said spare, and she could easily have sat back, done the bare minimum, and turned up for tiara events. But she didn’t. She was really close with Henrik and seems to get along well with Margrethe. Marie, Mary, and Frederik also seem to get on well. Marie seems to be a loving aunt. She works hard and wants to work for the family (which also seemed clear in that article) and she clearly loves them a lot

her relationship with her babies - mama Marie is so sweet. She puts her children and step-children first. When they are with her at public events, she makes sure they are safe and happy and, if they are uncomfortable, she makes them feel safe, while still maintaining a good relationship with the press. (I’m also in awe of how well she deals with the press but that’s an issue for another day)

Letizia (HM Queen of Spain)

how she’s overcome the negativity towards her - sometimes I forget how much both Spain and the royal watching world hated Leti. Sometimes I forget how after that Easter incident, the royal watching world turned on Leti for protecting her daughter. Letizia holds her head high and gets on with her work. She is a mother and a queen and she ignores the press and public reaction against her

her fashion - damn, Leti dresses SMART. If there was a royal I’d want to get business chic inspo from, it’s Letizia. She rewears clothes a lot and she wears a lot of high street designs, and this has helped her to cultivate a useful and fashionable wardrobe

her little family - Leti, Felipe, Leonor, and Sofia are a tiny oasis. I’m proud of Leti and Felipe for protecting their children for as long as they did and I’m proud they are now supporting them as they begin to have a public-facing life. Leti clearly adores her children and I love watching her watch Leonor give speeches.

her passion for travel - Leti strikes me as a wonderful diplomat and I don’t know if that’s true but I’m going with it. She seems to have a wonderful relationship with every royal, politician, and head of state she meets. Along with Felipe, she visits a wide range of countries and she appears knowledgeable and caring

her work with children’s rights - there’s nothing I love more than Leti and babies! She’s worked in children’s rights since her marriage and it’s an area of work I am obsessed with. You can see this passion in her defence of her own children and it makes me happy that she takes this passion and this love and gives it to children who need it

[ifreakingloveroyals]

Through the Years → Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway (30/∞)

25 August 2001 | The official picture of the newlyweds and their families in the Royal Castle in Oslo. Back row from left: Kristin Hoeiby Bjornoy, Per Bjornoy, Per Hoeiby, Wenche L. Hoeiby, Espen Hoeiby, Hege S. Hoeiby, Duke Guillaume of Luxemburg, Queen Anne Marie, King Konstantin, Princess Benedikte of Denmark and Sayn-Wittgestein and Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgestein-Berleburg. Second row from back: Grand Duke Jean of Luxemburg, Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte of Luxemburg, Dutch Prince Willem-Alexander, Maxima Zorreguieta, Belgian Prince Philippe, Prince Albert of Monaco, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Crown Prince Felipe of Spain. Second row from front: Johan Martin Ferner, Princess Astrid mrs Ferner, Erling Lorentzen, Princess Ragnhild mrs Lorentzen, Prince Charles, Linda Taanevik, Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, Princess Martha Louise of Norway, Prince Carl Bernadotte, Princess Kristine Bernadotte, Dorrit Moussaieff, Iceland and Pentti Arajärvi, Finland. Front row, still from the left: Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxemburg, Grand Duke Henri of Luxemburg, King Albert II of Belgium, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, Sven O. Hoeiby, Marit Tjessem, Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, Queen Sonja of Norway, King Harald V of Norway, Queen Silvia of Sweden, King Carl Gustav XVI of Sweden, Queen Sofia of Spain, Icelandic president Olafur Ragnar Grimsson and Finlands president Tarja Halonen. In front the unidentified bridesmaid. (Photo credit AFP via Getty Images)

[jerseydeanne]

Queen Margrethe of Denmark, 80, 'becomes the first European royal' to receive the Covid-19 vaccine - as she announces she had first jab on New Year's Day

Queen Margrethe of Denmark, 80, ‘becomes the first European royal’ to receive the Covid-19 vaccine – as she announces she had first jab on New Year’s Day

Queen Margrethe II was inoculated on New Year’s Day, Royal Court announced Confirmed that the monarch would receive second dose in around three weeks Mother-of-two is first European sovereign to officially announce having vaccine

[countessdelannoy]

Morgan’s 10 Least Favorite Royal(ish) Wedding Gowns

So @claireofluxembourg​, @queensonjas​, and @wonderfullyroyal​ already did this and I realized that I also have opinions about royal/noble wedding gowns, so here we go.

A couple of things things before we start: this is called “least favorite” and not “worst” because I recognize that some of this is incredibly petty and just me nitpicking things I don’t like.

Second - every gown on this list is from the 2000′s, because one look at my mom’s wedding dress from the 90′s reminds me that anything from more than 20 years ago needs to be judged in its own category, and I have no desire to go down that rabbit hole today.

Also, we’re skipping Mabel because I feel like that’s a given. 

10. Princess Madeleine of Sweden

I know, I know, it’s Valentino and it’s Madeleine and while she looks gorgeous and happy and I love her hair her veil her tiara everything else, I have to be picky on the dress and it’s just lacking. First of all, there’s some weird fit issues going on with the bodice that are just...not flattering, and I’m not a huge fan of the straight-across cut of the bodice under the lace overlay. Also, it looks like she’s got a dust ruffle on the bottom of her skirt that I can’t unsee. Still, she’s at the far end of the “least favorite” list because I love the lace and she looks fabulous.

9. Princess Sofia of Sweden

Ah, Sofia. Once again, I think she looks beautiful and happy and that’s the most important part (also we stan a colorful bridal tiara). But while I loved the lace on Madeleine’s gown, I’m not a fan of this. From the chest up it looks fine - not fantastic but nice enough - but the lace bodice cuts off at a weird place and the lines of lace going down the skirt are kind of...off. Not to mention, the lace on the skirt is barely visible outside of close-up shots, which is a shame because it’s very pretty lace. Honestly, the emerald tiara saves this one from going quite a bit lower on the list.

8. Crown Princess Mary of Denmark

Some people love it, some people hate it, but for me it’s just kind of meh. There are a lot of things I don’t like about it, but I think it’s being saved by my knowledge that Mary’s style game has skyrocketed since her wedding (and also some of the gowns yet to come). I don’t like the fabric or the weird cut and pleating of the front panels. I don’t like that there’s nothing marking the waist except for some seams. The off-the-shoulder top is great in theory, but was cut in a weird place and doesn’t look great in a lot of pictures. Overall not a favorite of mine.

7. Princess Charlene of Monaco

Charlene carries this well, I’ll give her that - she’s got the height to pull this off and it definitely fits with the style we’ve come to expect from her - but it’s not for me. I love the off the shoulder neckline (much better than Mary’s!) but I’m not a fan of the lace down the front and the way it’s tapered at the top. Also not a fan of the extra train added on to the back - especially from angles where you can see the big gap between the extra fabric and the gown itself. Also the veil looks super thin and kind of cheap, but I do like that she added some jeweled clips to her hair to compensate for the lack of tiara. Charlene looks great, but the dress is just not doing it for me.

6. Autumn Phillips 

Autumn, I love you, but this dress is just...not my favorite. I am in general not a fan of strapless gowns, and this is no exception; the lace bolero is cute but is very obviously not part of the gown, and I’m not a huge fan of the cut. Also not a fan of the very wide, cummerbund-esque waistband, or the bows going down the back of the train. I know she didn’t get a title from this marriage and wasn’t technically marrying a prince, but come on - when you’re marrying the oldest grandson of the Queen of England you can do it up a little. From the front, this just looked too similar to wedding dresses that I’ve seen cousins and friends wear - and none of them were marrying royalty.

5. Princess Marie of Denmark

Now we get to the part of the list that is less “meh not for me but not awful” and more “what were you thinking?” First up, Marie. Aside from the veil, there is very little that I like about this - the dropped waist, the low cut bodice, the hairdo, the groom. The lace is pretty, but the edges of the sleeves look weirdly doubled up - almost like straps - and I don’t like the way the lace comes down below the hem and just looks messy. The dropped waist looks good on almost no one, and it isn’t a good look here. Like I said, very little I like here. 

4. Princess Nathalie of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg

Nathalie gets a partial pass because she’s more royal-ish than royal - she’s the daughter of Princess Benedikte of Denmark (Queen Margrethe’s younger sister). What doesn’t get a pass? The weird, flowery star pattern on the bodice that cuts off at an awkward place. Is that lace? Is it crocheted? I don’t know, but it looks like something my grandma would have made in the 70′s. The same flowery star things going down the front of the skirt are equally weird. Definitely not a fan, but she looks super happy and the Khedive of Egypt tiara and heirloom veil are looking fabulous as always.

3. Princess Martha-Louise of Norway

I almost feel like Martha-Louise should get a pass here just because it’s Martha-Louise, but then I look at those pointy shoulders and change my mind. We can’t even really ask “what were you thinking?” because that’s not really helpful, when it comes to Martha-Louise’s style, is it? The dress underneath is pretty plain, but nice enough. The coat over it makes it look more royal, but also like she’s trying out to be an extra in some sort of medieval period drama. Honestly, I’m not even sure what else to say here, except that I almost cried going through these pictures because of how happy they look in every single one.

2. Princess Sophie of Prussia

As far as not-great royal(ish) wedding gowns go, I feel like you all are sleeping on this one. It’s not even that it’s awful, it’s just very...confusing? I’m not sure what’s going on with the weird, off-center ruffly-cut of the skirt, and it looks like she’s wearing some sort of sheer blazer over the top? The tiara is lovely and she’s wearing an heirloom veil which is always nice, but the rest of this is just a whole lot of question marks.

1. Zara Tindall

Eesh. I don’t like the border at the hem, I don’t like the weird seams on the bodice, and I don’t like the sheer, bunched-up straps. The waistline is at a weird place, and somehow almost worse than Marie’s dropped waist gown. The veil looked crunchy and very messy (although some of that was the wind). I do like that Zara looked radiant and very happy, but the dress is just a really big “no” from me.