How Queen Margrethe of Denmark Created Illustration for the Lord of the Rings Books
We already thought the Danish royals are one of the coolest royal families in Europe (why else would Danes love them so much, anyway?), and the fact that the Queen Margrethe used to be a great fan of J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic novel The Lord of The Rings just confirms our beliefs.
In fact, Margrethe II of Denmark liked The Lord of The Rings so much that in the early 1970s while she was still Crown Princess of Denmark, she decided to make her own drawings that would depict the story of the best-selling novel through images. She then sent her illustrations to Tolkien, who, according to one of her biographers, was struck by how similar the Queen’s drawings were to his own. So, in 1977, five years after Margrethe’s father had died, leaving her the throne of Denmark, the Queen’s illustrations were printed and published in the Danish edition of The Lord of The Rings as well as on a British edition published by The Folio Society. If you’ve seen these editions and wonder how her name slipped your attention, it’s because Queen Margrethe used the pseudonym Ingahild Grathmer. Take a look at the well-known paintings that impressed the legendary English writer here.
The talented Margrethe II of Denmark
Even though the Queen of Denmark has an impressive academic background with studies in Political Science at Aarhus University (at the same department her son Prince Frederik would study several years after), Archaeology at the University of Cambridge and some years at the London School of Economics, it seems that she’s always been attracted to more creative activities. She’s known for designing her own dresses, ceremonial garments for the Danish bishops as well as costumes for theatrical plays. Among her most popular works are her designs for the movie Wild Swans, which is based on Hans Christian Andersen’s renowned fairy tale, and her costumes for the Royal Danish Ballet’s production of A Folk Tale.
It’s been a while since we last saw an exhibition with the Queen’s paintings, so we hope she’s still spending some time in her studio and we’ll soon see more of her artwork.
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