The royal countdown to Christmas got under way with a majestic festive show put on by one queen and celebrated by another three.

Queen Margrethe of Denmark welcomed regal relatives and friends to the famous Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen to see her work on a production of a favourite Christmas ballet, The Nutcracker.

Queen Margrethe, who abdicated in January after 52 years as Danish monarch, has had a leading role in the production and design of this version of Tchaikovsky’s famous work. The queen is responsible for the scenography and the costumes for the show.

As the curtain finally went up, on the eve of Advent, three queens joined Margrethe at the Tivoli for the opening night. Her daughter-in-law, Queen Mary, and her sister, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, were there along with Queen Margrethe’s good friend, Queen Sonja of Norway.

King Frederik, who took the throne on his mother’s abdication on January 14th 2024, was also present. Frederik X and Queen Mary were accompanied by three of their four children – Princess Isabella, 17, and thirteen year old twins, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine. Their eldest child, Crown Prince Christian, 19, is still in east Africa where he has been working on farms after leaving school this summer.

Another of Queen Margrethe’s grandchildren, Count Felix, joined the family celebration, arriving with his great aunt, Princess Benedikte.

This version of the Nutcracker is also a celebration of Danish culture and includes references to some of the country’s most famous cultural icons including Hans Christian Anderson. It runs at the Tivoli until December 29th 2024.