Who says March, says carrying out an annual financial report, including for the royal houses of Europe. While this Tuesday, March 5, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt presented the British budget plan for the coming year to King Charles III, the Danish royal family, for its part, made public its financial results for the past year, in particular the total amount spent by Queen Margrethe II. And the numbers are staggering. According to information from Se og Hørrelayed by our colleagues from Vanitatisthe former sovereign would have spent the sum of 62,019,412.70 Danish crowns (or approximately 8.3 million euros) in 2023, which is equivalent to an average of 22,793 euros per day on goods and services subject to the VAT.
“Its consumption reached unprecedented heights last year, surprising even the most informed observers,” reports Se og Hørwhich adds : “This increase is remarkable compared to 2022, a year in which it had already set records by spending just over 46.5 million crowns (6.2 million euros). In 2021, its spending amounted at 36.8 million crowns (4.9 million euros)”. But what is the reason for this sudden increase? The Danish media asked the Danish royal house about this, which responded bluntly that this was “attributed to the extensive renovation work that Queen Margrethe II plans to carry out at Marselisborg Castle in the coming years.” It should be remembered that 2023 marked the last year of Margrethe II’s reign, since last December 31 she announced her intention to abdicate, which she officially did on January 14, 2024, thus passing the torch to her son Frederik, the new king of Denmark.
⋙ PHOTOS – The Danish royal family in pictures
Could Marselisborg be the new main residence of Margrethe II?
Marselisborg Royal Palace serves as the official residence of the Queen of Denmark – a title she retains despite her abdication – during the summer months, as well as other important holidays such as Easter and Christmas. It was her husband, Prince Henri, who died in 2018, who had the vision of the possibilities offered by this residence, although the reception was cold from Frederik X’s mother. They both undertook to renovate and modernize the palace, making it one of the most iconic sites in Aarhus today. In light of the considerable sum Margrethe II spent in 2023 to renovate the castle, it is legitimate to wonder if she plans to make this residence her primary home, now that she is “retired”. To be continued…
Article written in collaboration with 6Médias.
Photo credits: Backgrid USA / Bestimage