The Theatrical Universe of Danish Queen Margrethe

Since her ascension to the throne in 1972, Her Majesty Queen Margrethe has long been a fan of the arts and creativity, being lovingly dubbed ‘The Fairy Tale Queen’.

This nickname stems from the special exhibition that featured at the Amalienborg Museum in Copenhagen, which showcased Queen Margrethe’s own theatrical universe. This unique exhibition saw her artwork displayed alongside costumes and set designs personally chosen by her majesty from some of her favourite fairy tales.

Fairy tales, such as those written by Hans Christian Andersen, were a popular memory for Queen Margrethe, so it is no surprise that they inspired her theatrical universe. Her childhood was filled with these stories, and she also spent a lot of her formative years attending the ballet, dressing up, and creating art.

The exhibition was not the first time that Queen Margrethe has explored her interest in fairy tales, with the Queen regularly illustrating the stories of Hans Christian Andersen. She also had an exhibition in 2012 at the State Hermitage Museum, which showcased the art and costumes that she had designed for the film, The Wild Swans, which was an adaptation of the Danish author's iconic work.

Her artistic flair does not end there, with her majesty known to dedicate every Thursday to creative activities, from working in scenography or the Royal Danish Theatre and The Pantomine Theatre, alongside creating works of embroidery, watercolours and book illustrations.

Here at Aviendo, we share Queen Margrethe’s passion for art and the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen. Our full range of products, from beautifully illustrated storybooks to carefully crafted wooden figures, are specifically designed to help bring these fairy tales to life. Everyone loves the iconic stories from Hans Christian Andersen, which is why our goal is to bring generations of families together through timeless Danish design.