April 16th saw the 75th Birthday of HM Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. Like Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Queen Margrethe is a constitutional monarch of long standing, admired and respected. Unlike Queen Elizabeth, Margrethe is both an intellectual with opinions which she gives more freely (and, actually, the right to vote in political elections, but which she chooses not to exercise) and, in fine Danish fashion, a more approachable human being.
Having said that, Margrethe might never have come to the throne, for two reasons. Most closely, the law of succession in Denmark was changed in 1953 to allow the eldest of King Frederick IX three daughters succeed rather than his younger brother Knud and just princes. Out of the Succession Crisis of the 19th Century, sparked by King Frederick VII not having an heir, a distant cousin, Christian of Glückburg, who married another distant cousin, Louise of Hesse-Kassel, for whom her brothers renounced any rights to the throne, became king.
I have to say that Denmark's royal heraldry isn't very exciting and could be said to verge on the dull and unimaginative. The dynasty and succession had got the royal shield into somewhat of a mess. Queen Margrethe had the decency to simplify matters to the Coat of Arms which you see at the top of the post. However, having said that, Bjarne Erbo Grønfeldt of the Queen's Cabinet Secretariat confirmed to me in 2010 that HRH Princess Benedikte, HM Queen Anne-Marie (as Princess of Denmark) and HRH Princess Elisabeth (daughter of Prince Knud) all bear the same arms with the shield as before Margrethe's succession with crown, canopy and supporters of their rank.
In fact, the Scandinavian monarchies make more use of monograms. None more so than Queen Margrethe. As a renowned artist herself, she has designed all the Danish Royal Family's monograms. Her own, for instance, is a masterpiece of balance. The 2 (her regnal number) and the R (for Regina, Latin for queen) are outstanding and subtle at the same time. Below is a gallery of these monograms. Please note Prince Joachin's wonderfully modern monogram...