Margrethe II of Denmark

Margrethe II (Danish: Margrethe 2.; Faroese: Margreta 2.; Greenlandic: Margrethe II) (Danish pronunciation: [mɑˈɡ̊ʁæːˀd̥ə], 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.