Queen Margrethe of Denmark appears to be easing back into a more regular schedule. The Danish Royal House confirmed that the former monarch, 86, attended the annual meeting of the Classen Trust on Tuesday, November 10. It appears to have been her first official engagement outside Fredensborg Palace in four months.
Margrethe has served as the trust’s royal patron since 1972, and she kept the role after giving up the throne in 2024. The position is more hands-on than many royal patronages. Each year, she attends the meeting at Corselitze Manor on the island of Falster to review and approve the trust’s accounts and annual report. An accomplished artist and designer, Queen Margrethe has also advised on restoring and furnishing the historic manor.
The foundation itself dates to 1792, when Major General Johan Frederik Classen left his fortune to create it in his will. The Classen Trust manages estates, forests, and farmland, using the income to fund charitable, educational, and social causes across Denmark. Its ties to the crown run deep. Queen Margrethe’s great-grandfather, King Frederik VIII, was its first royal patron, and her father, King Frederik IX, held the role until his death in 1972.
Queen Margrethe presenting the 2026 Ebbe Munck Prize to journalist Masaana Egede last week.
The outing is the latest sign of Queen Margrethe’s recovery after a difficult year. She was hospitalized three times in 2026, first in May for heart concerns and again shortly afterward for a blood clot in her hip. In September, a blood clot and mild dehydration sent her back to the hospital, forcing her to miss the funeral of King Harald V of Norway. She returned to public life in October at a concert at Fredensborg Castle Church. Last week, on November 3, Margrethe presented the Ebbe Munck Prize at Fredensborg Palace, an award named for a Danish journalist and resistance fighter.
Rachel King (she/her) is a news writer at Town & Country. Before joining T&C, she spent nearly a decade as an editor at Fortune. Her work covering travel and lifestyle has appeared in Forbes, Observer, Robb Report, Cruise Critic, and Cool Hunting, among others. Originally from San Francisco, she lives in New York with her wife, their daughter, and a precocious labradoodle. Follow her on Instagram at @rk.passport.