With a carriage ride, balcony performances and an elegant gala dinner, the Danish Queen Margrethe II is celebrating half a century on the throne at the weekend (September 10/11). The monarch had actually wanted to celebrate her anniversary on the January deadline. But the corona pandemic had thwarted her plans. Now the really big party is waiting for the 82-year-old queen. And there's plenty of opportunity for her countrymen to cheer her on.

Thousands of Danes and tourists are expected on Saturday when the monarch waves with her family from the balcony of her Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen at noon. Margrethe II then drives in a carriage past onlookers and fans to the town hall, where she appears again on the balcony. The Danish Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard stood here at the end of July and was cheered on by a huge crowd. At the celebration of the queen, it should be similarly crowded on the town hall square.

Visit to the theater and worship

It gets rather exclusive when Margrethe II attends a festive performance in the Royal Theater on Saturday evening. Sunday will continue with a church service and gala dinner at Christiansborg Palace, the seat of the Danish Parliament.

Denmark's queen had already celebrated her jubilee in May with a roller coaster ride in Copenhagen's Tivoli amusement park. This year she will also be honored with numerous exhibitions, receptions and stamps with her likeness.

The monarch inherited the Danish throne after the death of her father, King Frederik IX. inherited on January 14, 1972. The scandal-free queen, who is known for her love of art, cigarettes and dachshunds in addition to her extravagant clothing style, has a big rock in the board with the Danes. After Queen Elizabeth II - her third cousin - she is the second longest reigning monarch in Europe.