Queen Margrethe’s Horseshoe Brooch

As we prepare for the abdication of Queen Margrethe, take a look at one piece of iconic jewellery.

This beautiful horseshoe brooch was given to the then Princess Margrethe of Denmark by her father Frederik IX in 1953, after the signing of the Constitution, which made her heiress presumptive to the throne. Before 1953, women were barred from inheriting the Danish throne, and it had been widely expected that Frederik’s brother Prince Knud would one day succeed to the throne.

However, Frederik and his three daughters proved to be so popular that changes to the succession were set in motion in 1947, shortly after Frederik himself had succeeded as King. A final referendum, as required, took place on 27 March 1953, and the changes to the succession took force at the same time as the Constitution of 5 June 1953.

(Screenshot/Fair Use)

In a touching tribute to her father, Margrethe wore the brooch on the day she was proclaimed Queen. She was proclaimed Queen on 15 January 1972, the day after her father’s death, on the balcony of Christiansborg Palace.