Danes to celebrate Queen Margrethe's 80th birthday via Facebook group

Queen Margrethe of Denmark's birthday is celebrated with much enthusiasm and fervour by the Danish royal family as well as the Danes. A grand celebration spanning for over a month was planned to mark her 80th birthday on April 16.

However, as the country went into a lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Danish royal family cancelled all their royal engagements for the upcoming weeks including Queen Margrethe's birthday celebrations. Now, the Danish people have taken the matter into their hands and decided to mark the occasion in a special way while practising self-isolation.

Usually, on the queen's birthday, she is woken up by her family and friends who gather below her bedroom window at Fredensborg Castle and sing together. But this year, more than 1,65,000 Danes have pledged to sing for the monarch while following the safety guidelines, reports Royal Central.

A Facebook group "Denmark sings for the Queen" created by one Kim Bruhn has gathered more than 165,000 members since it was created on Saturday, March 21. According to Bruhn, more than 80,000 people signed up for the group within the first 24 hours of its launch.

The group has urged its members to sing for the queen at noon on April 16, from streets, balconies, out of the window or wherever they are present at the moment while following social distancing guidelines issued by the government.

The group states in its description: "The Queen is 80 years old! Would you like to sing for her? Thursday, April 16, 2020 at noon we sing – on balconies, out the window, in gardens, workplaces – where we are. When Coronavirus has closed the official party – we have to mark the day ourselves! Raise the flag, waving the flag – share the day with family, children, and grandchildren at the proper Corona-safe distance."

According to the earlier plans made for the special day, the queen was supposed to show up at the balcony at Fredensborg Castle, Amalienborg Palace Square, as well as City Hall to meet her followers. The event was to be celebrated in a number of ways throughout April, and on two days in June as well.

Meanwhile, her grandson Prince Christian's confirmation has also been postponed to later this year due to the pandemic, Royal Central reported quoting Danish magazine, Se og Hør. Prince Christain, 14, is the eldest of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary's four children.

The royal, who is second in line of succession of the Danish throne, was supposed to be confirmed in the spring of 2020 in the Church of Denmark. But the event has now been postponed to an unscheduled date in autumn.