Queen of Denmark: who is Margrethe II, how old is she, length of reign, is Queen Elizabeth II a relative?

The longest serving monarch in Europe remains a woman despite the death of Queen Elizabeth.

Britain’s monarch had sat on the throne for 70 years prior to her death on 8 September.

Elizabeth II celebrated her Platinum Jubilee in the summer.

But the longest reigning monarch is now the Queen of Denmark, Margrethe II.

She has been the Queen regnant since the 1970s.

Here is all you need to know:

Who is Margethe II and when did she become Queen?

Margrethe II is the current Queen of Denmark.

She took the throne on 14 January 1972 and has remained head of state for Denmark ever since.

Margrethe II was the daughter of King Frederick IX and Ingrid of Sweden.

She was born into the House of Glücksburg.

At the time of her birth Margrethe II was not presumed to be the heir as only males could ascend the throne of Denmark.

It was assumed that her uncle Prince Knud would one day succeed Frederick IX.

However the process to change the rules so that women could ascend the throne began after Margrethe’s father took the throne.

The new Act of Succession required proposals to be passed by two successive Parliaments and even a referendum before it became official in 1953.

What countries is she Queen of and what is her role?

Margrethe II is the Queen of Denmark, which includes Denmark and the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands and Greenland.

She is the head of state and monarch for all three.

Like Elizabeth II, she is a constitutional monarch and as such takes no role in party politics and does not publically express any politican opinions.

Margrethe II holds a meeting with the prime minister and foreign affairs minister each week.

She formally appoints governments in the same way that Elizabeth II did.

Margrethe II is also the commander-in-chief of the Danish Defence as well as being the colonel-in-chief of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires), an infantry unit in the British army.

How long has Margrethe II reigned?

Her father Frederick XI delivered his New Year address to the nation at the end of 1971/ start of 1972 but quickly fell ill.

He died 14 days later and Margrethe II became Queen on 14 January 1972.

The Queen celebrated her golden jubilee this year, marking 50 years on the throne.

She became the first female monarch of Denmark since Margrethe I, who was the ruler of the Scandinavian kingdoms from 1372 to 1412 during the Kalmar Union.

Following the death of Elizabeth II, Margrethe became the longest ruling head of state in Europe.

The longest reigning monarch in the world is now Hassanal Bolkiah who became the Sultan of Brunei in 1967 and has reigned for 54 years.

Is Margrethe II related to the British royal family?

Queen Margrethe II was a third cousin of Queen Elizabeth II.

The royals were related both through King Christian IX of Denmark and Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel and Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

The Danish King fathered children who separately passed down rule to Queen Margrethe II and Queen Elizabeth II.

Margrethe II and Elizabeth II were both also great-great-granddaughters of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.