First she abdicated to give her son the throne…and now she has designed one for him. Over the weekend, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark bestowed upon her son King Frederick and his wife Queen Mary a pair of embroidered seat cushions for the chairs used by the couple when they visit the Frederiksborg Palace.
The monarchs often visit the historical spot to either publicly launch exhibitions in its museum or preside over other official royal events. Margrethe unveiled her creations during a recent visit from her son and daughter-in-law, posing with the chairs on Instagram.
According to Denmark’s official royal Instagram page, Margrethe’s embroidery is based on the crowned monograms of the monarchs: a blue mirror monogram, FF X, for the King and a red M for the Queen. The monograms are surrounded by various flowers on a dark blue background with turquoise dots. Tulips and roses are embroidered around the King’s monogram. Around the monogram of the Queen, the following flowers can be seen: white lily, red tulip, blue clematis, red rose, small belli, blue iris, red tulip and red velvet flower, according to information from the royal household, which also adds that Margrethe signed the embroidery with her own initial.
The gift is further proof of the former monarch’s craftiness. An artist since she was young, Queen Margrethe has illustrated several books in addition to exhibiting paintings and sculptures throughout her life. Particularly noteworthy are her works as a set designer for theatrical productions such as the ballets at the Tivoli Theater in Copenhagen, or for films such as Ehrengardt: The Art of Seduction, a Netflix historical production for which Queen Margrethe designed the costumes.
Her work on the latter project was so revered that she even earned Denmark’s version of the Oscar for costume design. Who said you can’t start a new chapter at age 83?
Originally published in Vanity Fair España
