2022 will go down in history as the year in which the world lost the light of Queen Elizabeth II after she reigned over the UK and the Commonwealth for over seven decades.
But in Denmark, the year also marks the Golden Jubilee of Queen Margrethe II, who ascended to the throne in 1972, almost exactly 20 years after Queen Elizabeth.
The date of her ascension is in January, but celebrations were postponed due to COVID-19 restrictions. With the new date fast approaching, Her Majesty has expressed her wish for celebrations to be scaled back to show her respect for the British Royal Family’s grief.
Acting upon the Queen’s wishes, celebrations with the Horse Squadron of the Guard Hussar Regiment and the carriage drives around the Royal Stables have been cancelled.
Now the programme will encompass a whole weekend of toned-down celebrations; on Saturday, the only event left is the gala performance at Gamle Stage in the Royal Theatre, and even that will be adapted. The guards’ parade at Amalienborg, the Copenhagen City Hall visit, and the music performance by Kong’s Nytorv were all cancelled.
Sunday will remain more or less the same, with the planned church service at Our Lady Church, the lunch for Nordic heads of state aboard the Dannebrog and the gala dinner at Christianborg all still taking place, albeit with some adjustments.
From royal reporters on the ground, we know that some jewellery pieces are missing form the exhibition showcasing them in honour of the Queen’s Jubilee. Still, it is not clear, at this point, whether or not tiaras will be worn for the two gala events.
The only event that was postponed and not cancelled is the visit to Copenhagen City Hall; however, a new date has not been announced yet, with the press release saying that “a new date […] will be announced at a later date.”
Queen Margrethe was very close to Queen Elizabeth II and sent a very moving tribute to mark the death of a person “very important to me and my family.”
