COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Tens of thousands of flag-waving Danes braving near-freezing temperatures have cheered Denmark’s popular figurehead monarch celebrating 40 years of her reign.
Queen Margrethe drove in a horse-drawn carriage from 1840, escorted by mounted Hussars, through Copenhagen Saturday to attend a reception at the City Hall, attended by Scandinavian monarchs, Iceland’s president and Greece’s deposed royal family.
The 71-year-old head of Europe’s oldest monarchy began the day by laying a wreath at the tomb of her father, King Frederik IX.
Margrethe, whose powers are largely ceremonial, became queen on Jan. 14, 1972, after Frederik died at age 72.
Her family traces its lineage back to Viking kings in the 10th century.
