Up to now, that has been Christian the 4th, who was not quite 11 years old when he was chosen to become king upon his father’s death in 1588. As he was not yet of age, a regency was installed in the meantime, and it governed the country in the coming years. It was not until August 1596 that Christian the 4th was installed as king. Hereafter, Christian the 4th reigned until his death in February 1648 - that is, approximately 51 years and six months.

The Queen assumed the throne from her father, Frederik the 9th, on 14 January 1972 and is thus, from the middle of this month, the longest sitting, reigning monarch in Denmark’s history.