SUPPORT OUR JOURNALISM: Please consider donating to keep our website running and free for all - thank you!

DenmarkEuropean RoyalsThe Netherlands

First royal guests revealed for Queen Margrethe’s 80th birthday celebrations

It will be a special few days of festivities when Queen Margrethe of Denmark turns 80 in April, and royals from around Europe are expected to attend the celebrations this spring. The first of the guests were revealed this week when it was announced that King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima, and Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands will attend.

The full statement from the Royal House of the Netherlands reads:

“On Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 April His Majesty King Willem-Alexander and Her Majesty Queen Máxima will attend the festivities to mark the 80th birthday of Her Majesty Queen Margrethe of Denmark. These include a gala dinner at Christiansborg Palace on the evening of Wednesday 15 April, and a dinner at Fredensborg Palace the next day. Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands will join the royal couple for the dinner at Fredensborg Palace.”

King Willem-Alexander’s mother, Princess Beatrix, reigned as Queen of the Netherlands for 33 years before abdicating in favour of her son and has shared a warm relationship with her fellow monarch Queen Margrethe over the years.

Who else will attend? Although Queen Elizabeth II is close friends with Queen Margrethe, who is her third cousin, it’s extremely unlikely she will be present for the celebrations since she no longer travels abroad.

In many cases like these, The Queen sends the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall in her place, or the Earl and Countess of Wessex, but we have no confirmation on who will attend just yet.

Other guests we should expect to see include representatives from the royal families of Sweden, Belgium, Norway, Luxembourg, Spain, Monaco, and Greece.

The Royal House shared some behind-the-scenes photos of the party planning on their Facebook page today, posting that Queen Margrethe and Crown Prince Frederik were on hand at Christiansborg Palace to see the newly designed chairs that were a birthday present for Her Majesty.

The first time the more modern chairs will be used will be during her birthday celebrations in April, and they have been designed to last longer than the traditional gold chairs, as well as being easier to store in the palace.

About author

Kristin was Chief Reporter for Royal Central until 2022 and has been following the British royal family for more than 30 years. Kristin has appeared in UK and U.S. media outlets discussing the British royals including BBC Breakfast, BBC World News, Sky News, the Associated Press, TIME, The Washington Post, and many others.