Thursday, November 4, 2010

Monarchy Profile: Denmark

Name: The Kingdom of Denmark
Reigning Monarch: Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II
Reigning Family: House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
Status: The Kingdom of Denmark is the oldest monarchy in Europe with the royal family tracing its ancestry as far back as a thousand years. Despite periods of absolute monarchy, Denmark has long been a constitutional monarchy though in times past the role of the King was far more central. King Christian IX was the last Danish monarch to really be active in politics and use his powers and influence extensively. After his death in 1906 Denmark took a decidedly more liberal course. According to the constitution the person of the monarch is sacrosanct and the government is responsible for all of his or her actions. The Queen appoints and dismisses ministers (based on the democratic process) and royal assent is required for bills to become law. The monarch is expected to stay out of politics and the theoretical powers of the Crown are effectively held by the prime minister. The Danish monarch also reigns over Greenland and the Faroe Islands.

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