1957

Some of these old pictures are amazing. This is a State Visit from QEII and Philip, and we've got, from left to right: Margrethe, her father King Frederik, a very young QEII, Queen Ingrid (Margrethe's mom), her sister Princess Anne Marie, Prince Philip (looking VERY dashing), and  Princess Benedicte.  I AM confused as to why half of these people are wearing coats and the other are wearing summer dresses.

1959

This is her 18th birthday portrait. Nearly an action shot!

1960

Margarethe -- here, per a very specific Informative Caption, "On A British Rail Train Between Harwich And Liverpool Street" -- LOVES HER CIGS.

1961

And here she is, "arriving At Victoria Station On Her 21st Birthday Three Hours Before Her Birthday Ball At The Danish Embassy In Belgravia." It seems like she was dashing over to London rather a lot (or maybe we just have more pics from London available to us). I'm FEELING those glasses on the woman at the back.

1967

I'm SURE I'll eventually cover this wedding on its own, but until then: Her look was very lovely. Is that Lee Radziwell in the middle of the guests, with the very tall tiara and deep tan?

1968

Here's baby Prince Frederik! (At Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen.) What a noodle!

1968

This is Crown Prince Frederik's christening, and Information Caption has helpfully IDed most of these people who are busy reading the program: "Sitting in the front row from left: Queen Ingrid of Denmark, King Frederik of Denmark, their daughter, heir to the throne Princess Margrethe with the crownprince in her arms, her husband, Prince Henrik of Denmark, Prince Henriks mother, Countess Laborde de Monpezat and Count Laborde de Monpezat." For the second and third rows, though, YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN.

1968

This was "the Danish Food Centre in Manchester...during the 'Denmark in Britain 68' festivities." She's NEVER been less interested in the food centre. Where is the tobacco institute?

1970

By this point, Prince Joachim -- the spare -- had joined the family. These are very cute babies AND a great fair isle...poncho???

1970

Babies are not very interested in waving.

1972

And here's your massive tonal shift for the funeral of Frederik IX. (A bit of info for the non-Danes: After a certain point in history, all Danish Kings were either named Christian or Frederik and they just traded off. Margrethe decided that she counted as a Christian, so her son is Frederik. And his eldest is Christian. I do wonder, what if the heir dies? Did they make his younger brother Sven [or whatever] change his name to his brother's name when he took the throne? Or did everyone just cross their fingers?) Anyway, I'm going to demand mourners wear black veils to my funeral. I like the drama.

1972

Time for another tonal shift. This is GLAM!

1975

This is just a great snap. (A camera crew had come to her summer residence to, I don't know, presumably shoot footage of her smiling at a garden or something.)

1980

This portrait marked her 40th birthday, and isn't it fabulous? I feel like this is the poster for a TV movie based on a trashy but great novel of the 80s. A novel I wish I was reading now!

1980

Margrethe looks so much like Margaret Thatcher here?

1981

And we have arrived at what I suspect will be one of the crown jewels in my Royal Wedding Rewind Series, one that I must confess I am saving for when we really need it: Charles and Diana.

Here, we've got, per an Informative Caption that is both rather lazy AND bad at spelling, and seemingly going through an existential crisis: "King Bavdouin And Wife Of Belgium, King Olav Of Norway And Prince Harrald, Queen Margrethe II Of Denmark, Prince Henrik Of Denmark, Queen Silvia Of Sweden, King Gustav Of Sweden, Queen Beatrix Of Holland And Prince Claus Of Holland (dead 10/2002)....royalty." I love Margrethe's hat here.

1989

This is so 80s it literally hurts my face.

1991

"NO, I can't wait until this is over!"

1990

"I love smoking wistfully on a train."

1992

WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE.

1995

This was at Prince Joachim's marriage to his first wife, Alexandra, and it's very glam and upholstered. (Margrethe LOVES fur.) 

1996

This feels very smart.

1997

This is maybe the best thing I've seen Margrethe wear? It's very understated on her. (This is Queen Sofia, King Harald, Margs and Hendrik, and then Queen Silvia and King Carl Gustaf, or, as Informative Caption puts it, "VARIOUS NORDIC HEADS OF STATE.")

1997

From understated to NOT. Also, Margrethe loves a GIANT WRAP, as you'll see in the rest of this slideshow.

1997

This was A LUNCHEON, but the lighting makes it look like she and Bill Clinton are making a pact with the underworld.

1997

Everyone came over to the UK for a series of fancy events celebrating Her Majesty -- Elizabeth, I mean -- and Philip's 50th wedding anniversary.

1997

Margrethe LOVES a giant ballgown, also.

1998

This is a sassy hat.

1999

This coat is AMAZING. I can't tell if it's fur, or just fuzzy fabric?

1999

This is quite smart in a Sharp Airline Hostess kind of way.

1999

Given Nelson Mandela's hat, it must have been cold in Copenhagen in March of 1999. But also WHAT IS SHE WEARING ON HER HEAD?

1999

Very nautical.

1999

This feels somewhat safari-inspired, but she's actually in the UK.

1999

See? Here's Prince Philip. And this hat, AGAIN. This whole look is bonkers.

1999

QEII looks like she's trying to keep a straight face here. She looks SO SENSIBLE and Daisy...does not.

1999

Margrethe realllllly packed her most extravagant hats for this trip to the UK.

2000

She still wears this fur a LOT. At least it's sustainable!

2000

This looks like a shot from the opening credits of a comedy about a wacky royal family. We've got: Princess Alexandra with Prince Nikolai, Prince Joachim, Henrik and the Queen, and then her two sisters Princess Benedikte and Queen Anne-Marie. This was Margrethe's 60th birthday balcony wave. She ALSO loves a balcony wave.

(A-M is married to King Constantine of Greece, which doesn't technically have a royal family anymore nor did it at the time of this photo; they met when she was 13, got married when she was 18, and have five kids so I suspect they're pretty into each other, or were. She's lived a very dramatic life, given how they were deposed in a coup and all that. Benedikte married a German aristo who was very interested in bison and whose father was a Nazi who was "presumed dead" for a long time [Regardless, he's for real dead now]. They did not have to deal with a coup.)

2001

This was the 25th anniversary party of King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silva over in Sweden and making your royal guests wear these costumes is a flex.

2001

This was at the rehearsal dinner party at Prince Haakon and Mette-Maret's wedding and I actually really like this dress.

2002

And this was for Princess Martha Louise and Ari Behn's wedding. I would wear that jacket right now, with jeans.

2002

"The perfect accessory to all my jewels is this cigarette."

2002

Why NOT pop over for the Knights of the Garter Ceremony? (She herself was appointed in 1972.)

2002

Go to Ascot, while you're there.

2002

And stay for Her Majesty's Golden Jubilee shenanigans!

2002

This dress feels current again; this hat is insane.

2003

SHINY!

2003

This was the announcement of the engagement of Mary and Crown Prince Frederik. The Danes truly love a balcony moment, it seems!

2004

And this was her look for the wedding. This is A GOWN!

2004

Don't worry, I'll definitely get to this wedding eventually, too.

2004

This was at the rehearsal dinner for Felipe and Letizia's wedding and I think I speak for all of us when I say WHAT.

2005

These two always go to their chalet in France for August and I love her Summer Vacation Wardrobe quite a lot.

2006

So many peasant blouses AND PUPPIES!

2006

FYI, she also appears to be the sort of person who comandeers any baby in the vicinity and demands to hold it.

2007

Remember what I said about wraps?

2007

Remember what I said about waving?

2007

She wears this raincoat often and IT IS WACKY.

2007

"A hatband. In 2007. Interesting," Kate Middleton mutters to herself from her perch on the sofa in the attic of their country house, where she is hiding from the rest of her family. Downstairs, children are shrieking with what she has decided is glee.

2007

I love this and I wish she'd wear it again.

2007

I also wish I had a wine cave.

2008

And THIS was the gown she wore when Prince Joachim married Marie Cavallier, who looks exactly like his sister-in-law!

2008

"Mom, it's MY birthday and you almost hit me in the face."

2008

I always enjoy shots of Margrethe doing their shopping at the local French market. (Presumably not ALL of their shopping.) Literally anyone of any age could wear that now.

2009

This was in Vietnam, where Henrik actually lived for much of his early life.

2009

Who doesn't love hanging out of a window in a jaunty pattern?

2009

OH GOD MICHELLE HELLO I MISS YOU. (Margrethe looks like she's admiring Michelle's shoes here.)

2009

OH GOD COME BACK WE ARE IN A REAL BAD MESS. (Fun fact, "The US Presidential Couple Are in Copenhagen to Promote the Candidature of Their Home Town Chicago to Host the 2016 Summer Olympics During the 121st Session of the International Olympic Committee in Copenhagen Denmark." That did not work!)

2010

This was "the 70th Birthday party for King Constantine of Greece at Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece's residence, London, Britain," AKA her brother-in-law's birthday, and I quite like this gown.

2011

I assume they're talking about patterned day dresses here. At least in part.

2011

And then Putin showed up. (Technically, she visited him in Moscow so it makes sense he'd be there.)

2012

Back to London for ANOTHER Jubilee! 

214

Here, Queen Margrethe and Princess popped over to the Yacht Club of Greece in Piraeus, for Constantine II and Queen Anne-Marie's 50th wedding anniversary. Remembering popping over places?? I kinda love both of these looks.

2014

I feel like Obama is really keeping his eye on Putin here. With good reason. Anyway, this is: King Harald, Barack Obama, Queen Elizabeth II, Francois Hollande, Queen Margrethe II, Vladimir Putin, and Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg at the D-Day 70th anniversary, AKA that time that Obama and Maxima had THE BEST DAY TOGETHER. Plus, obviously milling around back there are Willem-Alexander and Angela Merkel and King Phillippe.

2015

I kinda want to put this on my piano.

2015

This was the wedding of Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist, and it's very dishy on her.

2016

QUEENS IN JEANS!

2017

Aw! This was Harry's first official visit to Denmark -- and I guess his last. This tugs at my heartstrings a bit.

2018

Margrethe's 80th birthday bash was postponed, due to The Illness, but here she is at her 77th, waving glamorously! Long may she wave, indeed.

Queen Margrethe of Denmark is 80 Today

It's RETROSPECTIVE TIME!