With Queen Margrethe of Denmark’s shocking announcement on New Year’s Eve that she is abdicating the throne after 52 years on January 14, the world will suddenly be without a queen regnant (a queen born to the throne, not a consort that married into the family). Much like her third cousin Queen Elizabeth, Margrethe was the longest-reigning monarch in her country, and her loss to both Denmark and the global royal stratosphere is profound.
So, yes, royal families around the world may be helmed by a boy’s club right now, but that won’t last. Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Norway all have heir apparents that are women—so, when it comes to the global royal landscape, the future is very, very female. Long may she reign!
