The queen who laughs – 01/02/2024 – Elio Gaspari

In a time of pasteurized celebrities and few queens who laugh, Margrethe 2nd of Denmark, with 83 years under her belt and 52 years of reign, announced that on the 14th she will hand over the throne to her son Frederik, aged 55. Like his mother, he also laughs.

For anyone who follows the English royal house, with its circumspect queens, sad kings and spirals of slander, this queen’s smile was a balm. Big-toothed, Margrethe has been laughing since she was a child. She has a smile on her face and a certain joy in her soul.

While the English make the crises of their monarchy a cultural attraction, Nordic royalty knows how to stay out of the spotlight.

At a time when brands cultivate celebrities and celebrities cultivate brands, Margrethe designs her own clothes. An octogenarian, she maintains a “what the hell” style. With bright colors and heavy accessories, it echoes samba school highlights. Perhaps that’s why she was invited to design sets and costumes for the Netflix film “Ehrengard, the Lake Nymph”.

Denmark is a cold, flat and egalitarian country. It is the size of the state of Rio and has a third of its population. The per capita income of the Danes is nine times greater than that of Brazilians. Margrethe was his second queen after 500 years, and the Constitution had to be amended for her to take over.

The Nordic monarchies gave the world Christina of Sweden (1626-1689) and, in their style, Margrethe of Denmark. Having attended three universities, she traveled the world.

He was in Brazil twice and had breakfast with Lula at her palace. He speaks his language, plus German, French and English. She reigned without scandal, even though she endured a crisis capable of fueling series like “The Crown.”

Margrethe met her husband, a handsome French diplomat, while studying at the London School of Economics. They married in 1967 and everything was going well until she ascended the throne.

As prince consort, Henryk was uncomfortable with his secondary role and became a poor professional until, in 2017, he gave an interview complaining: “My wife has decided to like being queen, but as a person she should know that, If a man and a woman are married, they are equal.”

He was wrong, but she got it straight: “He’s an invaluable critic.”

The prince’s fury reached its peak when he revealed that he did not want to be buried next to her. His problem was that he started to live for long periods in his French vineyard.

Henryk died in 2018, in Denmark, and Margrethe granted his wish. She gave him a royal funeral, declared a month of mourning and cremated him. His ashes were scattered at sea and in the palace garden.

Last September, Margrethe surprised Denmark by cutting off the titles of four of her eight grandchildren, “so they can take care of their lives.” (One of them had been a model in a Dior fashion show and didn’t like it.) The queen apologized, but cut the princes in half, thinking about the “future of the monarchy”.

Anyone who follows the adventures of English Prince Andrew and his possible nephew Harry understood what she was talking about.

A woman who demarcated her space and enjoyed her identity with joy.

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