As Queen Margrethe’s reign draws to a close, today we’re looking back at the role ‘Aunt Daisy’ has played within the royal families of Europe.
In April 2020, Queen Margrethe celebrated her 80th birthday. Special events had been planned to mark the occasion, but as well all remember, the coronavirus pandemic struck in early 2020 and by April, the world had shut down.
Instead of a glittering banquet or in-person festivities, the royal families of Europe came together and released a special video for Aunt Daisy to wish her well on her 80th birthday.
In the 80th birthday surprise video, the Swedish and Norwegian royals lead the celebrations for their cousin Daisy—as she’s known to her close friends—and Aunt Daisy.
Embed from Getty Images“We would like to have been with you to celebrate your birthday as we have done so many time before,” King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia said. Crown Princess Victoria and her family also appeared, waving Danish and Swedish flags, and saying, “Dear aunt Daisy, we would like to congratulate you on your big day and we hope the spring birds sing especially for you today.”
Prince Carl Philip also appeared in the video, saying, “Dear aunt Daisy, dear godmother, a happy birthday! I hope you have a wonderful birthday!”
Embed from Getty ImagesKing Harald and Queen Sonja appeared, saying, “We are sorry that we cannot be with you as we were supposed to be. The Coronavirus has meant that we must that at home but that doesn’t mean that we are not thinking of you on this day.”
Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit then joined in, telling he Queen: “Dear aunt Daisy, happy birthday! We were looking forward to helping you celebrate in Denmark but unfortunately, it is not possible now so that’s why we send you this greeting instead.”
King Willem-Alexander is one of Queen Margrethe’s godchildren, too, and he appeared in the video to celebrate his godmother and send well wishes to Denmark. King Felipe of Spain—who is related to Queen Margrethe several ways—also shares a special bond with the Queen, and began the video wishing ‘Aunt Daisy’ a happy birthday.
The royal families of Scandinavia are particularly close. Queen Margrethe, King Carl XVI Gustaf and King Harald are all related—Margrethe’s mother, Queen Ingrid, was born a Swedish princess; as was Harald’s mother, Princess Märtha.
In Scandinavia, the royal families tend to invite each other to events that others in Europe aren’t invited to. For example, King Carl XVI Gustaf’s Golden Jubilee celebrations last September saw only Denmark and Norway (and Greece, through Queen Anne-Marie) invited to attend.
Embed from Getty ImagesQueen Margrethe is the godmother of Crown Prince Haakon, heir to the Norwegian throne. She also designed Princess Ingrid Alexandra’s monogram after her birth in 2004. Prince Carl Philip counts Queen Margrethe as his godmother, too.
