Coins of Denmark 10 Kroner Silver Coin 1972 Accession of Queen Margrethe II
Commemorative issue: Death of Frederik IX and accession of Margrethe II
Obverse: Portrait of Queen Margrethe II looking right.
Lettering: MARGRETHE II DANMARKS DRONNING 1972 GUDS HJÆLP. FOLKETS KÆRLIGHED. DANMARKS STYRKE.
Reverse: Portrait of King Frederik IX looking right.
Lettering: FREDERIK IX KONGE AF DANMARK 20. APRIL 1947 14. JANUAR 1972 10 KRONER.
Edge: Milled.
Metal Silver (.800).
Weight 20.4 g.
Diameter 36 mm.
Thickness 2 mm.
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark
Margrethe II (full name: Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid; born 16 April 1940) is the Queen of Denmark. She is also the supreme authority of the Church of Denmark and Commander-in-Chief of the Danish Defence Forces. A constitutional monarch, Margrethe takes no part in political decisions aside from ceremonial state functions, such as appointing the Prime Minister, and does not express political opinions.
Margrethe is a member of the House of Glücksburg, a house originally from Northern Germany. As the eldest child of King Frederick IX and Ingrid of Sweden, she succeeded her father upon his death on 14 January 1972. On her accession, Margrethe became the first female monarch of Denmark since Margaret I, ruler of the Scandinavian countries in 1375–1412 during the Kalmar Union. Having been on the Danish throne for 43 years, she is currently the longest-reigning of the three Scandinavian monarchs, as Sweden's Carl XVI Gustaf has reigned since 1973 and Norway's Harald V has reigned since 1991.
Margrethe was born in 1940, but did not become heir presumptive until 1953, when a constitutional amendment allowed women to inherit the throne (after it became clear that King Frederick was unlikely to have any male issue). In 1967, she married Henrik (born Henri de Laborde de Monpezat), with whom she has two sons: Crown Prince Frederik (born 1968) and Prince Joachim (born 1969).