Editing Margrethe II (section)

==Heir presumptive==
[[File:Troonopvolgster prinses Margrethe, Bestanddeelnr 254-7690.jpg|thumb|Princess Margrethe in August 1966]]
At the time of her birth, only males could ascend the throne of Denmark, owing to the changes in succession laws enacted in the 1850s when the [[House of Glücksburg|Glücksburg]] branch was chosen to succeed. As Margrethe had no brothers, it was assumed that her uncle [[Knud, Hereditary Prince of Denmark|Prince Knud]] would one day assume the throne.<ref>{{cite news|work=The New York Times|title=PRINCE KNUD DIES; DANISH CLAIMANT|date=15 June 1976|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/06/15/archives/prince-knud-dies-danish-claimant-he-lost-direct-succession-to-the.html|access-date=14 January 2024|archive-date=14 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240114065337/https://www.nytimes.com/1976/06/15/archives/prince-knud-dies-danish-claimant-he-lost-direct-succession-to-the.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The process of changing the constitution started in 1947, not long after Margrethe's father ascended the throne and it became clear that Queen Ingrid would have no more children. The popularity of Frederik and his daughters and the more prominent role of women in Danish life started the complicated process of altering the constitution. The law required that the proposal be passed by two successive Parliaments and then by a referendum, which occurred on 27 March 1953. The new [[Act of Succession (Denmark)|Act of Succession]] permitted female [[Order of succession|succession]] to the throne of Denmark, according to male-preference cognatic [[primogeniture]], where a female can ascend to the throne only if she does not have a brother. Princess Margrethe therefore became [[heir presumptive]].<ref name=r1/> In 2009, the law of succession was modified into absolute primogeniture.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kongehuset.dk/english/the-royal-house|website=kongehuset.dk|publisher=Danish Royal Court|title=The Royal House – The Danish Monarchy|access-date=22 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140208201408/http://kongehuset.dk/english/the-royal-house|archive-date=8 February 2014}}</ref>

Margrethe attended the traditional New Year Courts for the first time in 1956.<ref name="facts"/> On her eighteenth birthday, 16 April 1958, Margrethe was given a seat in the [[Danish Council of State|Council of State]]. She subsequently chaired the meetings of the Council in the absence of the King.<ref name=r1/> In 1960, together with her first cousin, [[Princess Margaretha, Mrs. Ambler|Princess Margaretha of Sweden]], and [[Princess Astrid of Norway]], she travelled to the United States, which included a visit to Los Angeles, and to the [[Paramount Studios]], where they met several celebrities, including [[Dean Martin]], [[Jerry Lewis]] and [[Elvis Presley]].<ref name=Elvis>{{cite web|title=Elvis Presley with Princesses Margrethe of Denmark, Astrid of Norway, and Margaretha of Sweden|url=http://www.elvispresleymusic.com.au/pictures/1960_june_7.html#sthash.ORaSOwgy.dd9JxPDB.dpbs|website=Elvispresleymusic.com.au|date=7 June 1960|access-date=11 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150909182159/http://www.elvispresleymusic.com.au/pictures/1960_june_7.html#sthash.ORaSOwgy.dd9JxPDB.dpbs|archive-date=9 September 2015}}</ref>

She paid her first visit to the [[Faroe Islands]] in 1959, alongside her parents and sisters, and to Greenland in 1960.<ref name="facts"/>

===Marriage and family===
{{See also|Wedding of Princess Margrethe and Henri de Laborde de Monpezat}}
[[File:Henrik-Prince-Consort-of-Denmark-and-Margrethe-II-engagement-391769175131.jpg|thumb|Margrethe and Henri in 1966]]
While Margrethe studied in London, she met the French diplomat, [[Henri de Laborde de Monpezat]], who was legation secretary at the [[Embassy of France, London|French Embassy]] in London. Their engagement was announced on 5 October 1966. They were married on 10 June 1967, at the [[Holmen Church]] in Copenhagen, and the wedding reception was held at [[Fredensborg Palace]].<ref name=r1/> Laborde de Monpezat received the style and title of "His Royal Highness Prince Henrik of Denmark" because of his new position as the spouse of the heir presumptive to the Danish throne.<ref name=r1/> They were married for over fifty years, until his death on 13 February 2018.<ref name=r1/>

Less than a year after the wedding, Margrethe gave birth to her first child, a son, on 26 May 1968. By tradition, Danish kings were alternately named either Frederik or Christian. She chose to maintain this by assuming the position of a Christian, and thus named her elder son [[Frederik X|Frederik]]. The following year, a second child, named [[Prince Joachim of Denmark|Joachim]], was born on 7 June 1969.<ref name=r1/>

In 1974, she and Henrik purchased [[Château de Cayx]] in the wine district of [[Cahors]] in [[Southern France]].<ref name="facts"/>

Margrethe announced in 2008 that her male-line descendants would bear the additional title of [[Count of Monpezat|Count or Countess of Monpezat]] in recognition of her husband's ancestry.<ref name="monpezat">{{cite web|title=Monpezat til Frederik og Joachim|trans-title=Monpezat for Frederik and Joachim|work=[[Berlingske Tidende]]|date=30 April 2008|url=http://www.berlingske.dk/article/20080430/danmark/804300370/|access-date=11 December 2014|archive-date=4 May 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080504140925/http://www.berlingske.dk/article/20080430/danmark/804300370/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2022, the Queen announced that, from the start of 2023, the descendants of Prince Joachim will only be able to use their titles of Count and Countess of Monpezat, their previous titles of Prince and Princess of Denmark ceasing to exist. To allow the children, who were never expected to hold an official role within the royal family, to have normal lives, the Queen wanted "to create a framework for the four grandchildren, to a much greater degree, to be able to shape their own existence without being limited by the special considerations and obligations that a formal affiliation with the Royal House as an institution implies".<ref>{{Cite web <!--|work=Agence France-Presse --> |date=28 September 2022 |title=Denmark's Queen Margrethe strips four grandchildren of royal titles |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/29/denmarks-queen-margrethe-strips-four-grandchildren-of-royal-titles |access-date=29 September 2022 |website=The Guardian |language=en |agency=Agence France-Presse}}</ref> Her son, Joachim, daughter-in-law, [[Princess Marie of Denmark|Marie]], former daughter-in-law, [[Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg|Alexandra]], and eldest grandson, [[Count Nikolai of Monpezat|Nikolai]], publicly expressed shock and confusion because of the decision,<ref>[https://www.euronews.com/2022/09/29/shocked-and-confused-denmarks-queen-strips-royal-titles-from-grandchildren 'Shocked and confused': Denmark's queen strips royal titles from grandchildren] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220930000333/https://www.euronews.com/2022/09/29/shocked-and-confused-denmarks-queen-strips-royal-titles-from-grandchildren |date=30 September 2022 }}, Euronews, 29 September 2022.</ref> after which Margrethe released a statement in which she said that it saddened her that she had upset Joachim's family.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/04/denmark-queen-margrethe-sorry-family-upset-grandchildren-royal-titles Denmark's Queen says sorry for family upset caused by taking away titles] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221019015542/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/04/denmark-queen-margrethe-sorry-family-upset-grandchildren-royal-titles |date=19 October 2022 }}, The Guardian, 4 October 2022.</ref>

Along with her late husband, Margrethe has kept [[dachshund]]s since the 1970s.<ref name="facts"/> She currently has one dog, the dachshund Tilia, who was Prince Henrik's dog until his death in 2018.