ABSTRACT
In January 1972 my parents had recently bought their first television set. At that time in Denmark it was not unusual for programmes to be cancelled with a “Technical problems, we apologize” statement appearing on the black and white television screen. However, on Friday 14 January the normal evening entertainments were for no obvious reason replaced by three people playing chamber music. The chamber music went on and on with no explanation. It was a nuisance for a child at my age, I had been looking forward to the usual Friday night entertainments. After a while, the chamber music was finally interrupted by the announcement that the Danish King Frederik the 9th had died, after which the music resumed. I remember that even after this clarification, my brothers and I were still grumpy: How could the death of the king be so important that chamber music had to replace The Persuaders with Tony Curtis and Roger Moore? The next day Crown Princess Margrethe officially took over the throne in a television-transmitted ceremony. She appeared on the balcony at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen to receive the greetings from the thousands of people who had gathered. She entered the balcony immediately after the Prime Minister had yelled from the same balcony the news of the king’s death in all four directions of the compass, as the tradition prescribed. I remember watching this on TV together with my mother while we were having our afternoon coffee and sharing our sympathy for this young princess, now queen, who came out on the balcony, pale and moved, to take up her new duties less than 24 hours after her father had passed away.
