{
  "id": 1377182,
  "title": "The queen who made tradition modern",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/the-queen-who-made-tradition-modern",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-17T00:02:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/opinion/20260817/the-queen-who-made-tradition-modern"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a world where female heirs to thrones are often denied the crown, Europe has demonstrated that queenship can thrive when wielded by women. Denmark provides a compelling example, with Queen Margrethe II's reign serving as a testament to how a modern monarch can make tradition relevant.\n\nMargrethe II's 52-year rule came to an end in 2024 after she abdicated at age 89. To many Danes, her departure marked not the end of a monarchy, but the transition of a beloved mother figure. Stories abound of the queen's everyday presence: cycling through Copenhagen's streets, stopping at local markets, or simply interacting with ordinary citizens. Her approachability was as much a part of her monarchy as the regalia.\n\nWhen she took the throne in 1972, public support for the Danish monarchy was around 40%. Over the subsequent decades, that backing surged, reaching about 80% today. Her rise in popularity illustrated that even established traditions can flourish in an advanced democracy when they earn the trust and affection of their people.\n\nMargrethe understood that tradition and progress need not be mutually exclusive. While she respected the historic foundations of the monarchy, she also recognized the necessity of change. She allowed marriages between royal heirs and commoners, supported modernizing efforts within the royal family, and demonstrated that the crown could adapt without forsaking its core values.\n\nIn a time when many nations grapple with gender norms, Denmark's path offers a hopeful model. Queen Margrethe II showed that a monarchy can not only endure, but thrive, when led by a woman who honors her role yet embraces the evolving world around her.",
  "summary": "The Japanese parliament’s recent decision to continue barring women from the throne stands in stark contrast to what has happened in the West. Europe offers several remarkable examples of women as monarchs. Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II, who abdicated in 2024 after 52 years on the throne, is one of them. To many Danes, Margrethe was more than a monarch. She was a motherly figure who shared their…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "The queen who made tradition modern",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/16/the-queen-who-made-tradition-modern",
        "published": "2026-08-16T23:52:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}